Support School Violence Prevention Take action to stop bullying and harassment in our schools! Write your legislators now to ask for their support of House Bill 1366, the School Violence Prevention Act. This bipartisan bill would require schools systems to adopt strong policies against bullying and harassment, including harassment against students based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. All young people deserve a safe environment in which to learn. Please edit the letter below in your own words to have even more of an impact! Sample Letter for Campaign Subject: Dear [ Decision Maker ] , I am writing to ask for your support on House Bill 1366, the School Violence Prevention Act. This important, bipartisan bill would require our public schools to adopt strong policies to prevent bullying and harassment, which continue to prevent many of our children from learning. It is critical to protect all students from bullying, including those most frequently targeted. That's why it is so important to spell out that this include harassment based on race, religion, sexual orientation, and other differences. I urge you to support this important bill. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely,

Campaign Launched: April 10, 2007

Background Information

Take action to stop bullying and harassment in our schools!

Here are some key reasons to support House Bill 1366, the School Violence Prevention Act.

• Students have a right to a sound basic education, but too often bullying and harassment interferes with that right.
• Bullying that goes unaddressed also contributes to more severe violence, like school shootings. A study by the U.S. Secret Service indicates that a history of bullying was a factor in three-quarters of school shootings in recent years.
• Because they feel unsafe, victimized youth are pushed out of schools and into high-risk behavior. These youth are more likely to skip school, drop out, engage in substance abuse, or worse.
• Every student deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Physical appearance, sexual orientation, and gender identity are the three most frequent reasons for bullying and harassment in schools, yet these types of bullying are often overlooked by school personnel.
• This bill protects ALL students from bullying, and its inclusion of enumerated categories will provide clear direction to teachers, administrators, and students about the scope of the law. Teachers want clear policies that will give them the backing they need to address problems in the classroom and on the playground.
• While harassment of any kind is unacceptable and should be dealt with quickly, firmly, and with appropriate consequences and remedies, certain groups of people have suffered systematic institutional prejudice, and discrimination and as a result are at a disproportionate risk of being the target of harassment and violence.
• Strong laws against bullying and harassment are a growing trend. Just this March, Iowa became the tenth state to adopt an anti-bullying law including sexual orientation.