Senate to vote on anti-bullying bill
by Hannah Clay Wareham
Bay Windows
Thursday Mar 11, 2010
http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=news&sc3=&id=103363 (http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=news&sc3=&id=103363)
The Massachusetts State Senate will soon vote on bill S. 2283, also known as the "Anti-Bullying Bill." It was reported out of the Joint Committee on Education on Feb. 24. The legislation would work to prevent bullying and cyber-bullying by developing anti-bullying programs and raising the level of accountability of school adults; all school employees would be required to report bullying immediately after witnessing or becoming aware of it.
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While the Anti-Bullying Bill would, if passed, work to make schools safer, several LGBT advocacy organizations are disappointed in the lack of language specifically referring to "enumerated categories" -- students who become the targets of sexual orientation- and gender identity/expression-related bullying. "So many [lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people] have been the victims of bullying when they were in school," Isaacson said. "The victims are scarred for life."