Senator Bob Casey is expected to introduce an amendment this week to the proposed reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act that would add a comprehensive, enumerated anti-bullying policy requirement to the bill that will shape education reform in the country for years to come.
The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) is calling on Senators on the Health Education Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee to support Senator Casey's amendment, based on the bipartisan Safe Schools Improvement Act, if it comes up for a vote this week in the committee.
"The current language in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act fails to deal effectively with the bullying crisis in America's schools," GLSEN Executive Director Eliza Byard said. "GLSEN and the millions of children who are suffering in our nation's schools urge Senators on the HELP Committee to support Senator Casey's amendment and vote in favor of language that has been proven to significantly improve school environments for all students, regardless of their race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or any other distinguishing characteristic."
Nearly two-thirds of middle and high school students (65%) said they had been bullied in school in the past year, according to From Teasing to Torment: School Climate in America, a 2005 report from GLSEN and Harris Interactive that surveyed more than 3,000 students. Students at schools with an enumerated anti-bullying policy similar to the one that would be established by Senator Casey's amendment were less likely than other students to report a serious harassment problem at their school (33% vs. 44%).
LGBT students experience bullying and harassment at an even more alarming rate. Nearly 9 out of 10 LGBT students (84.6%) said they've been harassed in the past year because of their sexual orientation and 63.7% because of their gender expression, according to GLSEN's 2009 National School Climate Survey.
LGBT students at schools with an anti-bullying policy that included protections based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression heard fewer homophobic remarks, experienced lower levels of victimization related to their sexual orientation, were more likely to report that staff intervened when hearing homophobic remarks and were more likely to report incidents of harassment and assault to school staff than students at schools with a general policy or no policy.
GLSEN also coordinated the call to action with members of the GLSEN-led National Safe School Partnership, an informal coalition of 90 leading national education, health, civil rights, disability rights, youth development and other organizations committed to ensuring that America's schools are safe for all children.
About GLSEN
GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, is the leading national education organization focused on ensuring safe schools for all students. Established in 1990, GLSEN envisions a world in which every child learns to respect and accept all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. GLSEN seeks to develop school climates where difference is valued for the positive contribution it makes to creating a more vibrant and diverse community. For information on GLSEN's research, educational resources, public policy advocacy, student organizing programs and educator training initiatives, visit www.glsen.org .