OPPOSE HB 370Please write to ask House Education Committee Members to Oppose HB 370!
Just last year, New Hampshire passed an anti-bullying law to provide enhanced protections for New Hampshire students. Now, before it can even be fully implemented, lawmakers are trying to weaken this law by eliminating crucial protections. Committee members now and ask them to oppose HB 370, as it would endanger students and enable school bullying.
The New Hampshire Pupil Safety and Violence Prevention Act (2010), updated our previous law (2000). The new law gets an A++ rating from Bully Police USA, a watchdog organization that advocates for bullied children and reports on state anti-bullying laws.
The newly proposed HB 370 would weaken the NH Pupil Safety and Violence Prevention Act of 2010 in three important ways:
* Eliminate important language from the Purpose section. This language lists characteristics which are frequently targeted by bullies, such as sexual orientation and gender identity/expression, making it clear this law is meant to protect ALL students.
* Eliminate the notice waiver provisions. The law requires notification be given to parents when bullying occurs, but it allows school officials to waive this requirement based on student safety concerns. This is incredibly important for lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) students, who may face terrible repercussions if they are “outed” through notification.
* Eliminate protection outside of school. Currently, the law protects students from incident that occur outside of school if those incidents disrupt the school or a student’s education, such as cyberbullying or bullying while traveling to and from school.
There is simply no good reason to pass this bill! It needlessly endangers students and prevents effective implementation of the anti-bullying protections passed last year. Email Committee members today and let them know you oppose HB 370.
There will be a House Education Committee hearing on this dangerous bill on March 1st at 1:00PM in the Capital at LOB 207. If you can make it, come testify against this measure! All New Hampshire students deserve effective anti-bullying protections. For more information, you can contact Alison Gill, GLSEN Public Policy Associate at agill@glsen.org.
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