I write in support of HB536. This bill clarifies what it means to be bullied in a public school setting. As Unitarian Universalists we affirm the inherent worth and dignity of all people as already respected by the Virginia Human Rights Act (§ 2.2-3900 et seq.) in places of employment. It is simple common sense that a student learning how to navigate the world would be protected from bullying in school in exactly the same ways as an employee in a workplace. Speech that causes harm, exclusion, and othering needs to be recognized for the dysfunction that it is and has caused in our society. We urge advancement of this long overdue measure of respect for the inherent worth and dignity of all people.

I write in support of HB536. This bill clarifies what it means to be bullied in a public school setting. As Unitarian Universalists we affirm the inherent worth and dignity of all people as already respected by the Virginia Human Rights Act (§ 2.2-3900 et seq.) in places of employment. It is simple common sense that a student learning how to navigate the world would be protected from bullying in school in exactly the same ways as an employee in a workplace. Speech that causes harm, exclusion, and othering needs to be recognized for the dysfunction that it is and has caused in our society. We urge advancement of this long overdue measure of respect for the inherent worth and dignity of all people.

Support HB 536 --- and support our children in the schools!

Comments Document

Dear Chair, Vice Chair, and Members of the Committee on Education, I write to you on behalf of GLSEN, the leading national organization on LGBTQ+ issues in K-12 education. GLSEN is committed to ensuring that all youth – including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, nonbinary, Two-Spirit, and intersex youth – have equal opportunities to thrive, grow, and reach their full potential. GLSEN works to build safe and affirming learning environments for LGBTQ+ youth while advancing racial, gender, and disability justice in education settings. GLSEN’s National School Climate Survey (NSCS) has consistently found that students identify lower rates of bullying and harassment in schools where there is an anti-bullying policy that enumerates and expressly prohibits bullying and harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Enumeration is necessary to protect all students as research has consistently shown that students experience less bullying, feel safer overall, and that teachers are more likely to intervene to prevent incidents of bullying in schools with enumerated policies. According to the NSCS (2021), only 13% of LGBTQ+ students in Virginia identified that they attended a school with a comprehensive anti-bullying/harassment policy that included specific protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. Only 11% had a policy or official guidelines to support transgender and nonbinary students. Given the high percentages of LGBTQ+ students in Virginia who experience harassment at school, and the limited access to key resources and supports, we urge this committee to advance this bill and provide safe learning environments for all students. Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation that specifically prohibits bullying and harassment of students in K-12 schools based on sexual orientation and gender identity. We urge the Virginia legislature to pass and implement this common-sense, widely adopted policy with all due haste. This written testimony and more information can be found in the file attached. Thank you!

Comments Document

The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) is grateful for the opportunity to comment in support of House Bill 536. Transgender students experience pervasive bullying and harassment at school with severe implications for their mental health and academic opportunities and performance. By including gender identity among the enumerated characteristics protected by state anti-bullying policy, HB 536 will make schools safer for transgender students. Please see the attached document for NCTE's full statement.

Comments Document

The attached document was written in support of HB 536 and highlights the positive outcomes associated with explicit LGBTQ+ protections in anti-bullying laws.

Comments Document

My name is Shannon McKay, I'm the Executive Director of He She Ze and We, a nonprofit that supports Transgender and Nonbinary people by empowering their families, allies, and communities to create life-saving, inclusive environments. I ask you to support HB536! School is where Virginia's youth spend the majority of their time. It is important that all students are respected and protected from bullying and harassment in their learning environments. To ensure that all underrepresented and marginalized students are included in protective anti-bullying and anti-harassment policies, it is important to be specific. LGBTQ students, especially gender diverse students, in VA public schools often receive harassment which includes mental, verbal, and/or physical abuse at much higher rates than their cisgender peers. LGBTQ students of color, experience much higher rates. HB536 would adjust the definition of "bullying" in the context of public education to specify that the real or perceived power imbalance between the aggressor and victim includes such a power imbalance on the basis of the actual or perceived race, color, national origin, sex, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, ethnicity, religion, or other distinguishing characteristics of the victim. By enumerating the language in a policy to include underrepresented and marginalized communities, it would protect the students whom are most vulnerable. Acknowledging the existence of students in these communities, may even help promote understanding, compassion, and respect of differences. Please vote YES on HB536! So that all of the students of all of the intersections of identities listed above can feel seen, valued, respected, and protected. Virginia has been on the right side of history in regards to laws and legislation that protect LGBTQ+ youth. I hope you will continue to protect all VA youth, which means including transgender youth. Please see the attached document with a few stats from the Trevor Project referring to the harm that anti-LGBTQ and anti-Trans legislation causes on the mental health of LGBTQ students. Thank you, Shannon McKay

Please support HB 536

I am writing in support of HB 536. As a current high school student who identifies as LGBTQ+, I have witnessed the effects of anti-LGBTQ+ behavior on my peers, and therefore recognize the importance of anti-bullying and harassment legislation that explicitly protects LGBTQ+ students. All students, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation, should feel safe and supported at school, and the best way to ensure this is through legislation that clearly defines and prohibits this behavior. My peers and I deserve a safe space where we can learn without fear of bullying and harassment, and we are relying on legislation such as HB 536 to help make this a reality.

As a gay man who grew up in a small town, I was bullied all of my life. This has had a lasting impact on my self-esteem. Teachers and staff did nothing about it. If fact those doing it were on sports teams so no action would have taken. Young folks need to have protections in place.

I support HB 536. This legislation helps provide clarity to enable a school system to formulate effective policies with regard to bullying.

As a high school teacher for over twenty-five years and the mother of a non-binary child, I ask you to support HB 536. Throughout middle and high school, my child suffered mental health issues, including suicide ideation, which could have been averted if society and schools better understood the vulnerability of LGBTQ+ youth. Please help protect future young people by giving them this support.

YES

Support YES

I am writing in Support of HB 536. Established policies help students, teachers, parents, and all school staff have a support system that weathers changes in administration. Schools with anti-bullying policies report less bullying. Enumerating specific groups allows for conversations about what we all share as humans, and the opportunity to learn that there is strength in diversity. In Virginia, only 32% of LGBTQIA+ students reported the harassment they experienced; of those 32%, only 27% reported a resulting change. That's approximately 3 in 10 students reporting bullying, and then just 1 of the 3 youths experiencing any external validation of their trauma, any sense of community, sense of safety. I am childless by choice and I believe that any child has right to expect that all the adults involved in their care can be trusted with their health and well-being. I believe children have the right to feel safe at school at I believe HB 536 is a way to foster that safety.

Chair and Subcommittee Members, My name is Narissa Rahaman. I am the Executive Director of Equality Virginia, the leading LGBTQ+ advocacy organization in Virginia. We are in support of House Bill 536 and thank Delegate Cole for championing this critical piece of legislation that will make Virginia schools safer for all students, not just some. Current Virginia anti-bullying law does not enumerate any specific groups of students who must be protected but protects students generally. GLSEN’s National School Climate Survey has consistently found that when LGBTQI+ youth report that their school has an anti-bullying policy that enumerates and expressly prohibits bullying and harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity, they are more likely to report their harassment and bullying. No student should fear going to school, but the vast majority of LGBTQ+ students in Virginia regularly heard anti-LGBTQ+ remarks. - 55% regularly heard school staff make homophobic remarks (55%) and negative remarks about someone’s gender expression (70%). - Additionally, most LGBTQ+ students in Virginia experienced anti-LGBTQ+ victimization at school. - They also experienced victimization at school based on religion (21%), disability (37%), and race/ethnicity (21%). - Most never reported the incident to school staff (68%), and of those who had, only 27% of LGBTQ+ students said that it resulted in effective staff intervention. GLSEN Research has found that students who attended schools with an enumerated policy heard fewer homophobic and racist remarks compared to students with no anti-bullying policy. These students were also less likely to perceive bullying, name-calling, or harassment as a problem at their school compared to students in schools with a generic policy or with no policy. Enumerated anti-bullying & harassment policy also supports our educators. Educators in schools with enumerated anti-bullying policies reported higher levels of comfort addressing bullying based on sexual orientation (77.7% v. 53.9%) and gender expression (72.3% v. 52.2%) than educators in schools with no anti-bullying policy. Educators report feeling “somewhat” or “very comfortable” intervening in bias-based bullying behavior based on sexual orientation (77.7%), gender expression (72.3%), and race (80.5%) in schools with an enumerated anti-bullying policy. House Bill 536 is one step in ensuring Virginia’s K-12 schools are free from bullying harassment. We urge you to support this legislation. Thank you.

I am writing in support of HB 536. As a high school counselor, it is exceedingly helpful to clearly and definitively name protected groups in anti-bullying and harassment policies when working to create a safer school environment. Clear and specific definitions provide school boards, principals, and all school employees with explicit guidance on both their actions and the expectations for student behavior, as well as the appropriate school response when these actions/behaviors are not followed. There is also extensive research showing that when antibullying and antiharassment school policies specifically list all protected classes, schools are rated as safer and have fewer incidents of bullying/harassment. As a result, students are more likely to remain in school and graduate on time.