Educators reminded bullying may violate civil rights laws

The U.S. Department of Education issued an advisory this week reminding educators that harassment rooted in sexual orientation or religious differences may violate federal civil rights laws. The letter is part of an Obama administration campaign to prevent bullying and other harassment at school in the wake of high-profile suicides of high school and college students.

This is an important reminder to the states, said Verne Larsen, Safe and Drug Free Schools coordinator for the Utah State Office of Education.

Unfortunately, the call to action comes as Congress has cut Utah's appropriation for this purpose by $1.5 million.

"We've been getting this funding since 1987. Now that we're emphasizing an issue like this, this is not a good time for cut," Larsen said.

For a number of years, Utah policymakers have labored to keep a step ahead of school bullying and hazing. Larsen said he believes Utah law sufficiently covers the issues raised in the federal alert.

The Utah Legislature passed a bill in 2008 that strengthened and clarified existing law on the issue. The Utah State Board of Education and local school boards subsequently updated their policies. More important, educators receive training about the laws and policies.

Utah teachers "know what to watch for and how to deal with it," he said.

The state has also developed curriculum that teaches students about acceptable behavior and their role in preventing bullying, hazing and other inappropriate conduct.

Students have a right to feel safe at school, at home and their communities. "But we teach them, 'You have a responsibility to help make it that way,' " Larsen said.

This is an important education issue because children who do not feel safe typically do not perform well academically.

Utah has attempted to deal with this issue in policy for several years stemming back to the locker room hazing of a Sky View High School football player in 1993. The issue took on added heft following the massacre at Columbine High School in 1999, when 12 students and a teacher were killed by fellow students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Friends and family have said the boys had been bullied at school.

Hazing and bullying are societal problems that also require the attention of families and communities, Larsen said. "I feel really good about what we're doing. We've been proactive. We're moving forward," he said of efforts by Utah's public education system.

"We can do better. We can always do better. We can all do better."

e-mail: marjorie@desnews.com