It’s time to talk about what’s happening to our kids in school.
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights will convene a hearing on May 13, 2011 on peer-to-peer bullying in K-12 schools. The Commission will look at verbal or physical assault, teasing, bullying, and any other form of harassment.
If your child, or a child you know, has been bullied based on their perceived sexuality or gender expression, please share your story with the Commission by writing a letter.
Your letter does not need to be formal; it should be in your own words and as personal as you are willing to make it. Let the Commission know about the kids and families involved, what happened/is happening, and how the people involved are impacted. You can make suggestions about how parents, teachers, school administrations, and communities should intervene to stop the bullying and prevent it in the future. You may choose to be anonymous, although please provide at least one initial and your state, if not your city, so that the Commission can get a sense of where problems are occurring in the country.
Our stories will become the heart and soul of this report, and will inform how national anti-bullying policy is created and implemented in the future.
Please send your stories by Monday, May 2, by mail or email, to:
Kim Tolhurst, Esq., Acting General Counsel
c/o Alec Deull
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
3102 Krueger Road
North Tonawanda, NY 14120
The final report will be released in September 2011.
Please, tell your stories. And spread the word, so that all of our voices are heard.
Because telling our stories can change the world.
What if you are still legally a minor? Can you send something in about your own experience with homophobic bullying? Or is it just for adults/parents/teachers?
I think it would be GREAT for them to hear from people who are under 18.