[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 15, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H1803-H1804]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        THE BULLYING OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS: AN EPIDEMIC

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Speier) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss an epidemic that is 
flying too far under the radar: the bullying of children with special 
needs.
  Bullying has gotten a fair amount of attention in recent years. Our 
Nation was shocked by the story of Tyler Clementi, a gay Rutgers 
student who jumped off the George Washington Bridge after being bullied 
by his peers. Earlier this month, Dateline NBC ran a special called 
``My Kid Would Never Bully.'' In it, hidden cameras were used so 
parents could watch their children react to several different bullying 
situations set up by Dateline. The results were not great. Last week, 
the President and the First Lady held a White House conference on 
bullying.
  What we haven't focused on is who gets bullied the most. You might be 
surprised by this: It's children with special needs. In fact, two times 
as many children with special needs are

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taunted every day in schools as children who we say are ``normal.''
  Tomorrow, I will be cohosting a briefing with Congresswoman Cathy 
McMorris Rogers, herself a parent of a special needs child, to discuss 
the heartbreaking issue. We will be joined by Lauren Potter, an actress 
on the hit show ``Glee,'' who has Down syndrome and who will share her 
personal stories as well. We will be highlighting a report by 
AbilityPath.org, Best Buddies, and the Special Olympics. This report 
shines a bright light on this epidemic.
  Here in Congress it seems there are as many reports as minutes in the 
day, but too often they end up collecting dust instead of inspiring 
action. In this case, we cannot allow that to happen. Bullying and 
harassment foster a climate of fear and disrespect that can seriously 
impair the physical and psychological health of its victims, and create 
conditions that negatively affect their learning.
  For special needs children who already face tremendous challenges, 
adding this extra burden is simply unacceptable. Those with special 
needs are more likely to be targets, either because their differences 
single them out in the classroom or because they have difficulty in 
communicating and in reading social cues.
  Let me share with you a story from the report. These are the words of 
a mother of an 11-year-old girl with Down syndrome:
  ``My daughter is a wonderful, adorable, sweet child with Down 
syndrome. The bullying she encountered started in elementary school and 
has followed her to middle school. Everyone makes a big deal about 
their children being bullied at school, and it is a big deal. However, 
it is always the `normal' children that you hear about. Who stands up 
for the children who are like my daughter?''
  It was this sense of helplessness that led James Jones, whose 
daughter suffers from cerebral palsy, to confront her school bullies on 
a Florida school bus in 2008. The video was unforgettable and shocking. 
The numbers are just as disturbing.
  A study in the British Journal of Learning Support found that 60 
percent of students with special needs reported being bullied compared 
to 25 percent of the general student population.
  Researchers have discovered that students with disabilities are more 
worried about school safety and about being injured or harassed by 
other peers compared to students without disabilities.
  The National Autistic Society reports that 40 percent of children 
with autism and 60 percent of those with Asperger's syndrome have 
experienced bullying.
  It is time for Congress to stand up and to speak up for these 
children and their families. In the coming weeks, I will be introducing 
legislation to tackle this issue head-on. Under this legislation, 
schools that receive Federal funds will be required to report the 
number of incidents of bullying and whether the victims have special 
needs. In addition, Federal funds used for bullying programs will be 
required to include content that specifically addresses the bullying of 
those with special needs.
  I hope we can begin a national conversation to ensure this epidemic 
remains silent no more.

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