Anti-bullying bill spurs House fight
by Elizabeth Murtaugh
The Associated Press OLYMPIA - Fans and foes of a school anti-bullying bill squared off at a House committee meeting yesterday, with supporters saying the measure would curb emotionally scarring harassment and opponents insisting that it's impossible to legislate good behavior. Senate Bill 5528 weathered impassioned debate in the Senate earlier this month, passing 36-13, and now goes to an evenly split House, where some say it faces tougher odds. "Rather than spending my time writing plans and pointing fingers and documenting grievances, which is what this bill does, I would rather use my time developing a positive climate of respect" in schools, said House Education Co-chairwoman Gigi Talcott, R-Lakewood, Pierce County. "There are already 20 pages of law dealing with harassment." Supporters countered that more must be done to stop students from terrorizing each other. "I fully understand that no bill can correct all of society's ills, but this issue of intimidation and bullying ... is an issue we need to highlight," said Rep. Dave Quall, D-Mount Vernon, co-chairman of the House Education Committee. "If this bill can be strengthened and improved, I'll support that." SB 5528 calls for the state schools superintendent to draft a model policy banning bullying, harassment and intimidation in the state's 296 public-school districts, each of which would have until September 2002 to put together individual plans. The bill is backed by Attorney General Christine Gregoire and Gov. Gary Locke. The governor has earmarked about $500,000 in the 2001-03 budget for anti- bullying planning and training. Senate Education Chairwoman Rosemary McAuliffe, D-Bothell, urged her colleagues in the House to support her bill, mentioning the recent school shooting outside San Diego as an example of how bullying can drive people to lash out violently. Santana High School student Andy Williams, 15, charged with murder in the California case, was called a nerd, a freak, dumb and scrawny before the March 5 shooting that left two dead and 13 injured, McAuliffe said. "This boy cried out for help, and no one heard him," she said. Such tragedies might have been prevented if better policies had been in place to encourage students to report bullying and threats of violence, bill backers argued. Opponents countered that the state should enforce existing laws rather than piling on new regulations. Several students spoke at the hearing, among them Sunny Moyer, an eighth- grader from Marysville who told lawmakers about a day in the life of a student scared to go to school and face vicious bullies. "You get off the school bus ... knowing this is going to be another day in hell," she said. Michelle DiClementi, a junior at Capital High School in Olympia, said: "Bullying happens. It hurts. It perpetuates and escalates, making victims feel powerless. "By letting bullying continue or assuming someone else will make it stop, we only allow people like me to keep getting hurt." Under SB 5528, students, school employees and volunteers who witness and promptly report bullying to authorities would be granted civil immunity in lawsuits.

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