[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 114 (Wednesday, September 5, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1579-E1580]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            STATE LEGISLATURES ENDORSE ``OPERATION RESPECT''

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 5, 2001

  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I want to call 
attention to the recent vote of the National Conference of State 
Legislatures (NCSL) in support of Operation Respect, which works with 
school administrators, teachers, legislators and others to promote 
character education and social-emotional learning in our nation's 
schools. The resolution was unanimously endorsed by the NCSL convention 
in August and marks a strong commitment on the part of lawmakers 
throughout this country to ending taunting, bullying and violence in 
our schools.
  This is an enormously important initiative. Our nation has been 
naturally shocked each time a brutal act of violence has occurred at a 
school and we are all committed to eliminating such dangerous behavior. 
We also have to be better attuned to the acts of taunting, violence and 
bullying that precede many such acts, and that are, unfortunately, far 
more common on campuses daily.
  A Little Hoover Commission report in California earlier this year 
found that ``alienated and disaffected young people are escaping the 
attention of families, friends and teachers until they explode into 
violence.'' A recent survey of more than 2,000 students in grades 8-11 
nationwide found that 80 percent said that they had experienced 
physical or verbal sexual harassment at school.
  Parents and teachers cannot allow this situation to continue and 
neither can legislators. Sound program models like ``Don't Laugh At 
Me,'' developed by Operation Respect, are being utilized in many 
classrooms throughout the nation, and we need to give strong federal 
support for their expansion and integration into the school curricula 
as local educators see fit.
  Earlier this year, Peter Yarrow came to both the Democratic Caucus 
and the Republican Conference of the House of Representatives to 
explain the urgent need for programs like ``Don't Laugh at Me,'' and he 
received a vigorous, bipartisan response. Now is the time for us to 
follow up on the strong feelings and pledges of support Mr. Yarrow 
generated by casting our votes in favor of adequate funding for 
character education and social-emotional learning programs and teacher 
training both in upcoming appropriations legislation and in the pending 
education bill.
  In the meantime, I want to share with my colleagues in the House the 
text of the resolution just adopted by the National Conference of State 
Legislatures in support of this important initiative.

National Conference of State Legislatures Resolution in Support of the 
                    Efforts of Operation Respect Inc

       Whereas, NCSL joins the National Association of Secondary 
     School Principals, American Association of School 
     Administrators, Council of Great City Colleges of Education,

[[Page E1580]]

     National Education Association, Council of the Great City 
     Schools, American School Counselors Association, National 
     School Boards Association, National Middle School 
     Association, and American Federation of Teachers in 
     Supporting efforts to ``Meet the crisis of violence head-on, 
     while simultaneously addressing the academic needs of 
     students, giving them the tools to become whole, productive 
     human beings; responsible, humane, ethical, participating 
     members of our democracy and our society;'' and
       Whereas, NCSL applauds the goals of Operation Respect and 
     its efforts to work with state legislatures to ensure the 
     health and well-being of the next generation of children: 
     Therefore, be it
       Resolved, That, NCSL forwards Operation Respect's proposals 
     for state legislative action for review and consideration 
     where appropriate by the 50 state legislatures, territories 
     and commonwealths of the United States.

     

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