March 21, 2006
LANSING – Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today urged legislators to pass bills introduced by Senator Buzz Thomas (D-Detroit) and Representative Glenn Anderson (D-Westland), creating a policy that would protect Michigan children from harassment or bullying at school. Governor Granholm called for tough, new, anti-bullying legislation in her 2006 State of the State address.
“Intimidation and fear have no place in our schools,” said Granholm. “To give our kids the world class education they need, we need to make sure all schools are safe.”
Research in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that one out of every three students in grades 6 through 10 have been involved in a bullying incident. While some school districts in Michigan have established strong anti-bullying policies to address the issue, these bills will ensure that policies are in place in every school across the state.
“Bullying and harassment in school can lead to violence and deprive students of access to educational opportunities,” Thomas said. “The Legislature demands that students go to school, and we should also demand that students are safe in school.”
House Bill 5616 and Senate Bill 1156 will require that school districts create and adopt policies that prohibit harassment or bullying at school and submit their policies to the Michigan Department of Education. To assist school districts in developing their policies, the Department of Education will develop a model policy applicable to grades K-12. House Bill 5616, sponsored by Representative Anderson, has received bipartisan support and 46 co-sponsors.
“Bullying is a very serious threat to school safety and has been linked to higher levels of dropout rates, crime, suicide, and school shootings,” said Representative Anderson. “While strengthening curriculum is vital to a student’s success, children cannot learn in an atmosphere of fear. All Michigan children should benefit from the same level of safety regardless of where they attend school.”
The new tough, effective, anti-bullying policies will include teacher training programs, procedures for reporting acts of bullying, procedures for response when acts of bullying are identified, age-appropriate consequences for persons who violate the policies, and procedures for prompt investigation of reports of violations and complaints.
“Bullying is a pervasive but preventable aspect of adolescent behavior with deep and long-lasting consequences for both the victim and the perpetrator,” said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan. “Prevention can lead to many other positive school outcomes for students: staying in school, getting better grades, participating in class and after-school programs, and building opportunities for the future.”
When signed into law, House Bill 5616 and Senate Bill 1156 will be known as “Matt’s Safe School Law” in honor of Matt Epling, a student who took his own life in 2002 after a hazing incident at MacDonald Middle School in East Lansing.
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