Photo: Dierdre Conde, Flickr

Photo: Dierdre Conde, Flickr

Advocates and people with disabilities say a bill to strengthen anti-bullying programs in Minnesota’s schools is vital to promoting the safety of disabled students. The bill, HF 1198, is likely to end up on Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s desk, but supporters anticipate a veto.

The bill has been the subject of criticism by Republicans and the religious right because it contains protections for gender identity and sexual orientation, although the comprehensive bill contains 14 specific provisions to protect students, including those with disabilities.

Also called the Safe Schools for All Act, the bill directs schools to create policies that prohibit “harassment, bullying, intimidation, and violence based on characteristics such as actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, disability, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, physical characteristics, or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.”

Some of Minnesota’s largest disability organizations have signed on in support of the act, including the Arc of Minnesota; Independent Lifestyles, Inc., of St. Cloud; the Metropolitan Center for Independent Living; and the Minnesota chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

“The Arc of Minnesota strongly supports the Safe Schools for All bill because students with disabilities are victims of bullying and harassment,” said Steve Larson, public policy director for the Arc of Minnesota, a group that advocates for those with developmental disabilities.

However, the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity is a sticking point for Republicans and the religious right. The Minnesota Family Council is leading opposition to the bill.

“We believe the current state law requiring school districts to develop and enforce policies dealing with bullying is sufficient,” said Chuck Darrell, communications director for the Minnesota Family Council. “Supporters of the bill argue that adding ‘gender identity’, ’sexual orientation’ and ‘harrassment’ to the state law will provide homosexual activists ‘leverage’ with school districts to institute curriculum which promotes acceptance of homosexual marriage and unhealthy sexual behavior.”

Asked whether the Family Council would approve of a bill that was specifically targeted to addressing bullying against disabled students, he said, “We can stop bullying of all students without promoting homosexual marriage and unhealthy homosexual behavior.”

Research is scarce about bullying targeted at students with disabilities or special needs, but the few studies that have been done show a disturbing trend. One study in the British Journal of Learning Support found much higher rates of bullying in children with special needs. Sixty percent of students with special needs or disabilities reported being bullied compared to 25 percent of the general student population.

While opponents argue that bullying programs should not “single out” certain groups of students, Larson says the research is clear that such policies are effective.

“Studies have been done that indicate that bullying and harassment decrease at a higher rate if specific categories of various populations are identified in policies,” he said.

A report commissioned by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network found that schools that implement policies that name categories of students have a larger decrease in serious bullying incidents.

“[S]tudents whose schools had a comprehensive policy with enumerated categories that included sexual orientation and gender identity/expression were less likely (33 percent) to report a serious harassment problem at their school than those who did not have such a policy (44 percent),” the report says.

George Byron “Geordie” Griffiths, a photographer who has worked with students with disabilities for 15 years, praised the bill in an editorial last week.

“I don’t have any illusion that simply passing the Safe Schools for All will magically stop bullying in Minnesota classrooms. But the proposal sets a standard and requires training so teachers learn how to effectively intervene,” wrote Griffiths. “And by specifically listing disability, along with other attributes such as sex, race, religion, sexual orientation, and physical characteristics, the proposal makes plain that, when it comes to bullying, absolutely no exceptions should ever be tolerated.”