Legislative Action Alert: Immediate Action Needed. Help Stop The Bullying!

May 17, 2011 - PRLog -- Who:  We need YOU to contact your Members of Congress TODAY

What: The Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2010 (S.3739)

Why:  The legislation does NOT include weight and height as part of its anti-bullying protections

How:  Use our legislative action alert

•   BACKGROUND
The Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2010 (S.3739) is a bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate by Senators Bob Casey and Mark Kirk to help prevent bullying in schools. The Safe Schools Improvement Act would require schools and districts receiving designated federal funds to adopt codes of conduct specifically prohibiting bullying and harassment, including conduct based on a student’s actual or perceived race, color, national origin, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or religion. It was introduced to the Senate on August 3, 2010 and referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP Committee).

There has not been a hearing on the Bill to date, so now is the time to contact these Senators and ask them to amend the legislation to include weight and height to the list of protected classes prior to the Bill’s approval.

•   CONGRESSIONAL TARGETS:
The members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions include:

Democrats by Rank
Tom Harkin (IA)
Barbara A. Mikulski (MD)
Jeff Bingaman (NM)
Patty Murray (WA)
Bernard Sanders (I) (VT)
Robert P. Casey, Jr. (PA)
Kay R. Hagan (NC)
Jeff Merkley (OR)
Al Franken (MN)
Michael F. Bennet (CO)
Sheldon Whitehouse (RI)
Richard Blumenthal (CT)

Republicans by Rank
Michael B. Enzi (WY)
Lamar Alexander (TN)
Richard Burr (NC)
Johnny Isakson (GA)
Rand Paul (KY)
Orrin G. Hatch (UT)
John McCain (AZ)
Pat Roberts (KS)
Lisa Murkowski (AK)
Mark Kirk (IL)

Even if you are not a constituent of the members listed, it is important that they hear your voice. Also, if you have specific stories about how bullying has affected your child or a child you know, that has a huge impact. Here is an example to help in composing your letter to the Committee members:

•   HOW TO CONTACT THEM: SAMPLE LETTER

Dear Senator _____________:
As a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, I want to bring to your attention the need to amend the Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2010 (S.3739) prohibiting bullying and harassment, including conduct based on a student’s actual or perceived race, color, national origin, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or religion.

While I support the intent of this legislation, there is an entire segment of children that would not be covered in this legislation as currently written, fat children. As we have seen in recent events where a teen girl from Minnesota committed suicide partly because of being teased and bullied about her weight, fat children are at risk.

There are numerous studies that outline the effects of bullying on children because of their size and/or body image. Along with fat children, short children are victims of incessant bullying on a daily basis.

While we believe it is the intent of this legislation to ensure a safe environment for children within public schools, we ask that they do not exclude and further stigmatize the largest group of children that are facing bullying on a daily basis.

We ask that the Committee request to amend the Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2010 to include weight and height to the list of protected classes.  Thank you!

Signature
City, State
Email Address

You can send an email to any or all of the Senate Committee members by going to  HYPERLINK:  http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senator...     and search the listing to find the names of Committee members. Then click on the link to complete an online form.

Or you can write to the Committee at:
Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
428 Senate Dirksen Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Thank you for helping to make positive changes in the lives of children.

On the web:  http://www.naafa.org

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Founded in 1969, NAAFA is a non-profit civil rights organization dedicated to ending size discrimination. Our goal is for people of size to be accepted with dignity and equality and will pursue this goal through advocacy, public education, and support.