The story of Montana Lance is just one example of the hundreds of Texas children who face painful bullying every day in our schools.
In the past, these experiences were relegated to rites of passage or a learning experience. But through the stories of children like Montana, Texans must acknowledge the potential deadly consequences of bullies tormenting kids because of their perceived differences.
Over the course of the next few weeks, Equality Texas will produce and distribute short Internet videos to highlight why Texas Legislators must pass comprehensive anti-bullying legislation during the 82nd Session of the Texas Legislature.
Equality Texas cannot fight alone. Legislators and the general public must hear from those who have experienced bullying to convince state leaders that this problem must be addressed.
If you would like to share your experience, please email me at Andres@equalitytexas.org
New Developments:
Lawmakers are beginning to make progress on our legislative agenda.
One of the biggest developments this week is the assignment of Senate Bill 245 to the Senate Education Committee. Senator Wendy Davis is the author of SB 245. This bill amends the education code to develop policies and programs to prevent bullying, including cyberbullying.
At this point, we can't estimate when SB 245 will receive a full hearing, especially with legislators working to solve a $27 billion budget deficit. On the whole, education is expected to take a huge financial hit because of the budget crisis. The Austin American-Statesman published an interesting article Tuesday morning about how 2006 school finance reform is actually causing significant trouble for Texas long-term financial stability. These fiscal problems could prove to be a major roadblock to passing SB 245, but Equality Texas will work especially hard this session to ensure lawmakers don't forget about securing the safety of all Texas school children.
Posted by Andres Araiza
Andres@equalitytexas.org
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