[Pacg] Iowa House Passes Safe Schools Bill!

[Carolina 1961]

Friends,

*Great news!  The House passed the Safe Schools Bill last night with
bi-partisan support (62-37).*  Thank you to everyone for your contact with
legislators over the past three years to help push this through the Iowa
House!  Despite its passage, they accepted several amendments to the bill so
it now goes back to the Senate.

As you know, this bill is specifically designed to insure that all children
are protected from bullying and harassment.  Representative Roger Wendt
(D—Woodbury) was the floor manager of the bill and has led the charge for
the bill in the House over the past several years. The following House
members voted in favor of the bill:

*Democrats (53)* – *Ako Abdul-Samad, McKinley Bailey, Paul Bell, Deborah
Berry, Polly Bukta, Dennis Cohoon, Swati Dandekar, Mark Davitt, Ro Foege,
Wayne Ford, Marcella Frevert, Mary Gaskill, Elesha Gayman, Lisa Heddens,
Bruce Hunter, Geri Huser, Dave Jacoby, Pam Jochum, Doris Kelly, Bob Kressig,
Mark Kuhn, Vicki Lensing, Jim Lykam, Mary Mascher, Kevin McCarthy, Dolores
Mertz, Helen Miller, Pat Murphy, Jo Oldson, Tyler Olson, Donovan Olson, Rick
Olson, Eric Palmer, Janet Peterson, Dawn Pettengill, Brian Quirk, Michael
Reasoner, Nathan Reichert, Thomas Schueller, Paul Shomshor, Mark Smith, Art
Staed, Kurt Swaim, Dick Taylor, Todd Taylor, Roger Thomas, Roger Wendt,
Andrew Wenthe, Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, John Whitaker, Wesley Whitead, Cindy
Winckler, and Philip Wise*

*Republicans (9)* –* Dan Clute, Clarence Hoffman, Libby Jacobs, Jeff
Kaufmann, Linda Miller, Scott Raecker, Bill Schickel, Walt Tomenga, Tami
Wiencek*

*Please call or email these legislators and thank them for helping to
protect ALL students in Iowa schools.  *

House Switchboard: 515-281-3221

Email: FIRST.LAST at legis.state.ia.us
*In the meantime, please pay attention to your email for further updates and
action alerts to get this bill passed and sent to Governor Culver!*

Brad


*House approves bill to stop bullying *
*Many tied long debate to gay-rights controversy*


By JENNIFER JACOBS<jejacobs at dmreg.com?subject=House%20approves%20bill%20to%20stop%20bullying>
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
*February 8, 2007*

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Classmates used to press themselves against their lockers in mock horror
when Tyler Mooers walked through the hallways of Carlisle High School.

When he heard a ban on bullying - including so-called cyber bullying - was
approved 62-37 in the Iowa House on Wednesday night, Mooers said he thinks
the legislation will be "really effective."

The bill would force public and private schools to have policies by Sept. 1
that prevent and punish bullying or harassment of any student.

Seventy-seven school districts, including Des Moines, Urbandale and West Des
Moines, already have antibullying policies, which include "sexual
orientation."

More than 280 public school districts don't have the "sexual orientation"
category, including Carlisle, Ankeny, Indianola, Johnston, Southeast Polk
and Waukee.

"A lot of people say it's just so gay kids get all these special rights, but
it's not," said Mooers, 18, who revealed his sexual orientation in his
sophomore year and was bullied enough that he sometimes wanted to skip
school. "It's about protecting everybody."

Rep. Jodi Tymeson, a Republican from Winterset, doubted the legislation's
effectiveness.

"It won't stop one kid from being bullied," she said.

Several Republicans unsuccessfully tried to strike the list of specific
categories, arguing schools should simply protect "all students" without
distinction.

"Why are the four-eyed, band-playing, choir-singing, too small to play high
school athletics, why are those traits not worthy enough to make this list?"
said Rep. Christopher Rants, a Republican from Sioux City. "How does adding
'any' or 'all' diminish what you want to accomplish?"

Rep. Roger Wendt, a Democrat from Sioux City, said the list includes
categories most frequently targeted for bullying, but school districts are
free to add more.

Many lawmakers and observers interpreted the long debate over this bill as a
thinly-veiled controversy over gay rights.

A safe learning environment for every child is "a moral imperative," yet
some legislators opposed the bill, said Connie Ryan Terrell, the executive
director of the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa. That's because they objected to
the words "sexual orientation" and "gender identity," she said.

Asked if opponents didn't want to expressly protect gay students from
bullying because that could be perceived as condoning homosexuality, Rep.
Scott Raecker, a Republican from Urbandale, said that wasn't true.

"Not at all," he said.

Raecker, who voted in favor of the bill, had suggested the state require,
and pay for, professional development for teachers and staff, including
character development.

Raecker is the executive director of the Institute for Character
Development. His idea failed, but the bill still encourages such training on
a school's own dime. Raecker said his intention was not to encourage schools
to hire his business.

The House approved other amendments, including one that states that the
teaching of doctrinal matters in nonpublic schools would not be inhibited.
Another prohibits bullying via cell phone, e-mail or the Internet.

The Senate on Jan. 30 approved the legislation, 36-14, but the House
amendments mean the bill will go now back to the Senate.

Reporter Jennifer Janeczko Jacobs can be reached at (515) 284-8127 or
jejacobs at dmreg.com



*House approves new protection for students*

*By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS*

DES MOINES — The House approved a measure Wednesday protecting gay and
lesbian students from being harassed for their sexual orientation, but also
assured that private religious schools are free to offer their
anti-homosexual teachings.

The bill, which heads to the Senate for more debate, lists other criteria
for which students must be protected from harassment, including gender, age
and race.

The measure passed 62-37 after supporters stifled efforts to eliminate the
criteria and simply ban bullying for all students.

''Iowa schools need more tools to enforce discipline in schools,'' said Rep.
Roger Wendt, D-Sioux City. ''A safe and civil environment in school is
necessary for students to live up to their potential.''

The protections were first proposed in 2004 by former Gov. Tom Vilsack but
has never made it through the Legislature. Gov. Chet Culver has indicated he
will sign the measure if it gets to his desk.

Under the House-approved version, public and private schools would be
required to report harassment incidents to the state and indicate what the
school did in response. In addition, religious schools would not be barred
from teaching their opposition to homosexuality — a provision added to ease
concerns from some lawmakers.

Critics of the bill said they should try to ban all bullying and send a
clear message to schools that harassment won't be tolerated against anyone —
not just homosexuals.

''The purpose of this bill is noble, but unfortunately the policy is not
consistent with the purpose,'' said Rep. Mike May, R-Spirit Lake. ''It sets
out to stop discrimination, and it discriminates.''

Wendt said it makes sense to specify protections for the groups that most
often are targeted by bullies.

He also said school districts would have the option to expand on the
harassment policies to more effectively deter bullying.

Rep. Dwayne Alons, R-Hull, said the bill has plenty of opposition from
schools in his district who oppose a statewide mandate.

''There's a different message out there,'' said Alons.

Supporters of the measure said only 75 of the state's 365 school districts
have adopted harassment policies, indicating they need a nudge.

Under the measure, each school district would have to adopt an anti-bullying
policy that includes all the traits included in the measure: age, color,
creed, national origin, race, religion, marital status, sexual orientation,
gender identity and political party, among others.

Thanks,

Cathy Bolkcom
Progressive Action for the Common Good
hm 563-289-4155

www.qcprogressiveaction.org
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