[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18145]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR LEGISLATIVE EFFORTS TO COMBAT BULLYING IN 
                                SCHOOLS

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                            HON. JAY INSLEE

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 18, 2011

  Mr. INSLEE. Mr. Speaker, a fundamental principle of our nation's 
education system is that all schools should provide students with a 
safe environment that allows them to learn without fear of harassment 
or discrimination. Unfortunately, we are not doing nearly a good enough 
job to provide this type of environment for our children, as far too 
many students go to school every day facing anti-LGBT bullying and 
discrimination. Allowing this sort of atmosphere to exist anywhere is 
unconscionable and wrong.
  Over the last fifty years, the federal government has taken action to 
require that all schools receiving federal funds prohibit 
discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, 
disability, and age. These laws are now in desperate need of updating, 
in order to expressly protect students from discrimination and 
harassment on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. This 
gap has left students and guardians with limited legal recourse in case 
of discrimination and harassment, and the federal government currently 
faces a dearth of information on how deep the problem runs. As a 
result, I am adding my name as a cosponsor to H.R. 998 and H.R. 1648 to 
help address these issues. While this law would place additional 
reporting requirements on cash-strapped school districts, I hope the 
federal government can work with states to share in this burden.
  Studies have shown just how detrimental an impact this type of 
treatment can have on LGBT youth. Among the many potential consequences 
of anti-LGBT bullying are increased absenteeism, academic 
underachievement, and serious health consequences. The need for this 
legislative change has only been made more acute recently, as we have 
seen far too many tragic deaths arise from the terrors of bullying in 
schools. I refuse to stand by and let any more suicides occur among 
students who were not sufficiently protected from harassment at school.
  While these bills address discriminatory activities occurring on 
school grounds, we must also encourage parents in every state to 
provide safe, healthy environments at home. This is particularly 
important as we continue to see a steep rise in cyber bullying, which 
can further isolate youth in desperate need of an open and honest 
environment. I look forward to working with my colleagues to modernize 
our federal laws to recognize this serious and growing problem as well.

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