The New York City
Department of Education will start training educators
this fall through a new initiative that strengthens the
city's existing Respect for All antibullying policy
for the city's schools. The plan was approved by
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and city schools chancellor Joel
Klein, according to TowleRoad.com.
The initiative
"prohibits students from bullying other students for
any reason, including taunting and/or intimidation
through the use of epithets or slurs involving race,
color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender,
gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation
or disability," according to the DOE.
Bloomberg vetoed
a 2004 antiharassment bill that would have provided
protection for LGBT students in the New York school
district, on the grounds that city council members
should not regulate safety at school. The new
initiative, enforced by the city's Department of Education,
emphasizes respect, accountability, and confidentiality.
According to the plan, all reported incidents of
bullying, harassment, or intimidation will be
investigated, The New York Times reports.
Supporters of the
initiative include Kevin Jennings, founder of the Gay,
Lesbian, and Straight Education Network; Drew Tagliabue of
Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and
Gays, New York City chapter; and New
York City council speaker Christine Quinn.
"These new
regulations combined with the Respect for All Initiative
will go a long way in ensuring that school officials
and young people are appropriately informed and
trained, and that we are accurately tracking incidents
of harassment as they occur," Quinn told
TowleRoad.com.
New regulations
include designating a school staff member who students
can turn to in cases of harassment; a new contact for
students who have questions; and a specific
requirement for schools to report all incidents of
bullying, according to The New York Times.
"When
students are victims of bullying because of race, sexual
orientation, or other factors, they simply cannot focus on
learning, and we cannot allow that," Bloomberg
told TowleRoad.com. (The Advocate)
