U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, I am writing to you regarding the urgent need to help prevent harassment in schools. As a DePaul University student pursuing a master's degree in counseling, and a concentration in school counseling, I feel compelled to ask you to support the Dignity for All Students Act that was first passed in New York nine years ago.
Although Illinois has passed an anti-bullying law, this statute fails to address the bullying against students due to their perceived race, ethnic group, weight, color, national origin, religion, disability, sexual identity and gender. In a world that has become so multicultural, I find it admirable to endorse all members of a school community, which the Dignity for All Students Act enforces. This measure succeeds at addressing our diverse members of society and excludes no one.
There is one group in particular that I feel has received very little consideration in Illinois, nevertheless. The LGBT community has been let down by a country that promises equality. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson declares, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
The main reason for my proposal is to illustrate the inequity toward students that fall into the LGBT community and that a law that promotes justice to all students is one worth signing. According to PrideAgenda.org, "All students are negatively affected by bias harassment, but gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender ( LGBT ) students and those perceived to be LGBT in particular are the victims of severe and widespread discrimination and harassment in our public schools."
Schools are institutions that should educate our youth on the culturally diverse world beyond, while promoting safety and personal growth. Kids should have the right to discover their sexual identity without fearing what may happen to them. In the January 2010 issue of District Administration, Scott Poland discussed the lack of family connection, peer connection and/or positive school environment experienced by many LGBT youth directly relates to a child's negative self-esteem and can produce unimaginable outcomes as a means to escape, such as, suicide. In Education Digest, a 2009 article written by Carrie Kilman stated, "For lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning ( LGBTQ ) students, school is rarely a safe space, much less an environment conducive to learning. Seventy-five percent of gay students report being verbally abused at school, and more than a third say they are physically harassed. And research shows that LGBTQ students are five times more likely to report having skipped school in the last 30 days because of safety concerns than the general population of students." Strict harassment policies and drastic measures must be taken to help this underprivileged group.
The Dignity for All Students Act promotes equality by verbally communicating that all members of the student body shall be treated equally. This act also encourages all schools to adopt policies to make anti-discrimination free environments; develop guidelines to be used in school-guidance programs for teachers, administrators and other school workers; create rules relating to the development of nondiscriminatory instruction and counseling; and report on incidents of discrimination and bias harassment to the State of Education department.
On a personal level, as a graduate student at DePaul University who will one day be a school counselor and, hopefully, have a family of my own, I want this dilemma to be eradicated before my children reach school age. None of us can project ourselves into the future but, with empathic understanding, I can only hope that my children, regardless of their sexual identity, will be free from such prejudices.
Sen. Durban, I hope you will consider my heartfelt plea something worth implementing in Illinois school systems and that you can see the benefits of supporting the Dignity for All Students Act. Your efforts are crucial to the betterment of our youth and I am certain that you possess the dedication that can lead our nation into a new and improved future.
Christine Mortimer is a graduate student at DePaul University.
