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Speakers Pledge Support for Tyler Clementi Bill at Forum

Policymakers and experts on bullying held a forum on the re-introduction of an anti-bullying bill in colleges named in honor of Tyler Clementi

Steven Goldstein, Chairman, Founder and CEO of Garden State Equality, addressed an Anti-Bullying forum at Montclair State University on Monday evening by asking the crowd, “How many of you have ever been bullied?”

When the majority of people in the room raised their hands, he responded, “When I was a child I was beaten to a pulp. Kicked. Spit on. Kids threatened to kill me because I was gay, short, different.”

Goldstein went on, “The best revenge is not using your hands, but changing society so future generations don’t have to suffer what you suffered.” 

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In response to recent tragedies involving cyber-bullying, and as part of a national effort to eradicate bullying of all kinds, U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) has re-introduced the Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act, which prohibits internet harassment on college campuses.

The law was named after Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University student from Ridgewood, N.J. who took his own life last September after other students allegedly publicly humiliated Clementi by invading his privacy online. 

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About 400 educators, legislators, parents and students gathered at MSU’s University Hall for the forum.

"I have a button for every kid who died"

Among the speakers was President Obama’s appointee at the U.S. Department of Education, Kevin Jennings, Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools. 

“I truly believe that because of past tragedies, including the Clemente case, this Administration is committed to making changes,” Jennings told the crowd.

“But we can pass all the laws we want—if the school districts don’t take action, the laws aren’t worth the paper they’re written on," he said.

Jennings himself shared his own experiences as a child who was the victim of school bullies. “Believe (your children) if they tell you they’re being bullied,” he advised. “Don’t minimize it. They’re overcoming a big stigma to tell you. When I told my mother, she took me out of that school. It may have saved my life. It certainly saved my education.” Jennings went on to graduate magna cum laude from Harvard University.

“Also, don’t think the child who’s getting bullied is the only one who’s being hurt," he said. "It’s the child who’s watching who also can’t concentrate in school.”

Jennings displayed eight photos of children who were recent casualties of bullying, among them, Carl Joseph Walker Hoover.

“Carl was a child who decided he would rather die than go back to school,” said Jennings, as the audience stared at the screen displaying a handsome young football player. “Carl is the reason I took this job. I went to Washington DC to fight for kids like him. I have a button for every kid who died. I wear one every day to remind myself why we’re doing this work.” 

Legislation

The evening's moderator, Frank Vespa-Papaleo was the former head of the New Jersey Civil Rights Division, an arm of the Attorney General's Office and now a law professor at MSU.  “Parents call my office because they don’t know where to turn. Their children are afraid to go to school because of chronic bullying. And, because of Facebook and Twitter, it doesn’t stop when they get home . . . it’s become quite clear that New Jersey has to update its laws.”

Vespa-Papaleo said the legislation–which is bi-partisan–would designate a safety team to work on awareness and preventative methods along with making schools accountable for acts of cyberbullying.

State Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (District 37), a primary sponsor of the bill said she looked forward to the start of the next school year, when the bill is enacted. She said if the issue is worked at by the time kids reach pre-K, "it will be second nature" by the time they reach college.

Goldstein affirmed her note, saying schools and parents are responsible, and it's not a zero sum game. "It’s the responsibility of society. Who cares if a kid gets 2400 on the SAT if that kid is demolishing some other kid’s self-esteem? Society has to set standards (of civility). A law can send a message that you can legislate behavior.”

What this means for schools

Jennifer Keyes-Maloney, the Assistant Director of Government Relations of the NJ Principals and Supervisors Association, displayed a Powerpoint presentation of the new law’s ramifications. 

“A ‘hostile environment’ that is created either on or off school grounds can cause physical or emotional harm to the student and prohibit that child from learning,” she maintained. “The new law emphatically makes it clear to schools that they have a duty here.”

Keyes-Maloney outlined in detail the specific actions required by schools districts to comply with the new law, including key measures like appointing an Anti-Bullying Specialist who will respond quickly to incidents of bullying.

“A written report has to happen within two days, and an investigation must be completed within 10 days,” she said, noting that the Superintendent also has two days to respond.  In the past, families complained about schools’ lengthy response times to bullying incidents. 

“The NJ Department of Education will grade school districts in their efforts to implement policies,” she said, “and there is liability for school administrators who neglect to act.”

Outreach and training

Derek Rill, Congressional Specialist from the Federal Trade Commission, discussed the materials designed by the FTC to educate kids and schools about cyber bullying and the hidden dangers of the Internet. The “outreach toolkit" was complimentary to each member of the audience.

“Pass it on to teachers. Ask them to start a discussion with their students,” suggested Rill. “Ask the kids, ‘If you’re on Facebook, should you “friend” your parent?’ ‘Do you think people look at the privacy settings on Facebook?’ ”

Sergeant Gregory Williams of the NJ State Police also made a short presentation on the importance of vigilance in cases of bullying. “We provide training and education for law enforcement throughout the state,” he said. “It’s more important to provide training for prevention; we don’t want to have to respond to assaults and suicide.”


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