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Granholm: Safe, Bullying-Free Environment Critical to a World Class Education

March 17, 2006

Nothing More Important to Securing Michigan’s Future

LANSING – In her weekly radio address, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today said nothing is more important to securing Michigan’s future than giving all of our children a world-class education, and critical to that education is making sure every school is a safe, positive learning environment.

“Research in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that one out of every three students – one out of every three – in grades six through 10 is the victim of bullying,” Granholm said.  “While some school districts in Michigan have worked to address this issue, it’s important to require that every district have policies in place to discourage bullying.”

Granholm called for tough, new anti-bullying legislation in her 2006 State of the State Address and noted that legislation has been introduced by Representative Anderson and Senator Thomas to put those policies in place.  She is urging the Legislature to move quickly to pass the proposals.

Granholm also cited two other necessary ingredients for a world class education:  excellent teachers and necessary resources.

“Michigan is blessed with some of the best educators in America,” Granholm said.  “My administration has increased school funding to record levels in order to put more resources into every classroom and to ensure that every school in Michigan is a great place to learn.”

The Governor also applauded the Legislature’s action on new rigorous curriculum standards and said she expects their work to be completed by the end of the month.

The Governor’s weekly radio address is released each Friday at 10:00 a.m. and may be heard on broadcast stations across that state through an affiliation with the Michigan Association of Broadcasters.  The address will also be available on the Governor’s Website on Mondays as a podcast for general distribution to personal MP3 players and home computers.

Broadcasters Note: Granholm’s radio address can be accessed through Sunday evening exclusively through the Members Only page of the Michigan Association of Broadcasters website.

Publishers Note: The text of today’s address is attached.

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