Support Matt’s Safe School Law

House Bills 4091 (H-1) & 4162 (H-4)

Bullying - A Serious and Persistent Problem

• An Oakland Schools survey of 200 high school students found that 84% said they had witnessed someone being bullied and 98% said they had witnessed teasing, insulting, or rumor-spreading about another student.
• Every day in the U.S., 160,000 kids miss school because of fear of harassment or bullying.
• Bullying leads to a variety of negative consequences -- including violence.
• The climate of fear created by bullies may result in increased absenteeism, decreased academic performance, and heightened risk of suicide. Frequently it even leads to vandalism and violence.
• Nationally, 60% of middle school bullies go on to one or more felony convictions by age 24 – this does not include unknown violence like dating violence, workplace violence.
• The U.S. Secret Service found that 2/3 of school shootings have had a bullying component behind them.
  

House Bill 4162 (H-4) and HB 4091 (H-1)

Frequently Asked Questions about Matt’s Safe School Law

What would these bills do?

• These bills would protect all children from harassment and ensure that schools are safe places to learn.
• The bills would encourage school officials to work with parents and law enforcement officials to adopt and implement a policy that prohibits "harassment or bullying." The new law would be known as "Matt's Safe School Law."

Where are the bills now?

• HB 4162 (H-4) and HB 4091 (H-1) passed the House in March, 2007 and are now before the Senate Education Committee.
• A “Matt’s Safe School Law” has also been introduced in the Senate (SB 107) and is also before the Senate Education Committee.

Does this legislation single out special categories of kids?

• No.  The bill does not grant any special rights for groups in State statute.
  It does not enumerate any categories.
• This is a bill that will protect all Michigan children, regardless of who they are or where they live.

Does this bill protect all children from bullying, or only certain groups?

• All children. This bill will protect every child in Michigan.
•  Under this law, any child who is bullied for any reason will be able to seek and get help.
  The bill defines bullying strictly by the behavior and conduct of bullies, not their victims.

Will this bill take away local control from my school board?

• No. The bill does not impose a policy on any school system.
• The bill only mandates that each local school system create an anti-bullying policy that works for that community, based on the needs and resources in that community.

Aren’t schools already doing this?

• Yes, in fact many school districts already have anti-bullying and harassment policies and are doing a good job creating safe school environments.
• But these bills are needed to ensure all schools have and implement an anti-bullying policy.

The main bill in the package seems so much shorter than it started out – does it still “have teeth”?

• Yes. Many groups cooperated and compromised to make the bill work, but it is still a bill that can and will protect Michigan children from bullying.
• The bill mandates that each and every school system in Michigan take on the problem of bullying and develop a policy to deal with it.
• The bill has the support of parents, educators, community groups, and law enforcement, all of whom recognize the good it will do in Michigan’s schools.

Doesn’t the State Board of Education Model Policy list special groups to be protected?

• No. The State Board of Education policy does not single out certain groups for protection and leave others unprotected.
• The policy uses the phrase “such as” and lists some characteristics that have made kids into targets of bullies in the past, but this list is not all-inclusive or exhaustive – it’s just a series of examples.
• Under the State Board of Education policy and under this bill, any Michigan child who is bullied for any reason will be able to seek and get help.

Who supports these bills? 

• Michigan Safe Schools Initiative
• The Michigan Department of Education
• The Michigan Department of State Police
• The Citizens Alliance to Uphold Special Education
• Michigan Equality
• The Michigan Counseling Association
• The Michigan Association of School Social Workers
• The Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service, Inc.
• The Michigan Chapter of the National Association of Social Work
• The Michigan Association of School Psychologists
• The Michigan Education Association
• The Triangle Foundation
• The Michigan National Organization for Women
• Fight Crime, Invest in Kids
• Van Buren Legislative Group
• The American Federation of Teachers-Michigan
• Michigan Small and Rural Schools
• White Lake Middle School and High School
• Michigan Head Start Association
• The American Civil Liberties Association
• The Michigan Chapter AFL-CIO
• The Washtenaw Intermediate School District
• The Michigan Association of School Administrators
• The Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals

Note: The Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) supported the bills as passed by the House Education Committee but object to language added on the House floor. Supporters are working with MASB to resolve their concerns.