This week, a legislative committee was set to conduct workshops on two bills relating to bullying in school, a topic that was thrust into the national spotlight a little more than a decade ago and has since grown more complex and disturbing at an alarming rate.
The Legislature’s Education and Cultural Affairs Committee was to review LD 1237, An Act to Prohibit Bullying in Schools, on Tuesday afternoon, and LD 980, An Act to Prohibit Cyberbullying in Public Schools, the following day.
This is not the first go-round for LD 1237, which was brought forth last year by Rep. Terry Morrison, a Democrat from South Portland. The bill, which defines bullying, harassment and intimidation, and requires each school district to adopt an anti-bullying policy based on a yet-to-be-developed state model, won broad support among lawmakers last year.
Until, that is, a number of House Republicans got cold feet, just about the time the conservative Christian Civic League of Maine issued a last-minute “action alert” disparaging the bill as unnecessary, and an affront to local rule and First Amendment rights. It also pointed out that the bill was written by the civil rights project director for a group called Gay and Lesbian Advocators and Defenders. Later, some legislators also cited the cost of implementing the policies as a reason for pulling their support.
Either way, one minute, the bill was a sure thing; the next, it was being sent back to committee for further review.
Fortunately, legislators have another shot at doing the right thing. Concerns regarding the bill’s impact on budgets and local control of school policy are legitimate and deserve debate, as long as they are not used to deflect attention from the Christian Civic League’s chief dispute with the bill, which seems to be that students with views opposing gays and lesbians would be targeted as bullies.
That view takes a low opinion of the school administrators, state officials, teachers, students and community members who would craft the model policy with an eye toward balancing free speech and public safety.
More than that, it disregards bullying as something easily confused with a simple disagreement on values. Schools have always been a tough place for those who are a little different, but we now know just how damaging it can be for a student to live under a constant threat of fear and humiliation. The ability to be bullied instantly through texts, instant messages and Facebook updates just adds to the feelings of alienation and loneliness, and has at times led to tragedy, such as with the Phoebe Prince case in Massachusetts.
Because technology has become the preferred vehicle for bullying, Morrison’s bill should be folded into LD 980, as has been suggested by some legislators. Then, a state model policy – fair and comprehensive – could be written that would strengthen the bullying rules already on the books, and help protect vulnerable students at a time when that is becoming an increasingly tough task.
Ben Bragdon is the managing editor at Current Publishing. He can be reached at bbragdon@keepmecurrent.com or followed on Twitter.
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