Ammiano Takes Hard Line on Bullying

Assemblyman Tom Ammiano's sending a strong message to schools to end bullying, or else.

Under his proposed new legislation, schools  would be required to create anti-bullying programs and to report on the results of their efforts.

Currently, schools have wide latitude to deal with -- and in many cases, ignore -- bullying problems. Because the current system doesn't work, Ammiano hopes that his new guidelines will ensure that schools protect kids.

Bullying has impacts beyond just simple emotional pain. Kids who are bullied miss more school than their peers. LGBT kids are particularly vulnerable, reporting double the rate of abuse as straight students.

The law is AB9, but it's taken on the nickname Seth's Law. That's a tribute to Seth Walsh, a California teenager who died of suicide after enduring harassment from other students over his perceived sexual orientation.

In addition to Ammiano's anti-bullying bill, Senator Mark Leno has also introduced a bill that would prevent schools from making disparaging claims about gays or from "straight-washing" lessons by concealing LGBT contributions throughout history.

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