Student Non-Discrimination Act needed to protect LGBT students from bullying

By Kathy Baldock

Casey, sixteen and gay, was being bullied by two students at his high school in Ohio. His youth pastor, a friend of mine, helped to secure a restraining order to protect him, but the principal downgraded the severity with a weaker solution. He let Casey come to the office five minutes before classes ended and stay until five minutes after they started — Casey would then be safe from bullying in the hall-passing time.

But one of Casey’s bullies was still in class with him.

Did this principal create a safe learning environment and protect Casey from abuse? Why did it even get this far? Why was there no policy in place to protect this child from bullying due to his sexual orientation or even his perceived sexual orientation?

No LGBT child in public schools in the United States is federally protected from bullying and harassment for their sexual orientation or gender identity. Shocked? This is true.

No Child Left Behind (2001), soon to be re-authorized after ten years in the updated Elementary and Secondary Education Re-Authorization 2011 (ESEA), made it out of committee in October 2011 without the bipartisan support it needed to include protection for LGBT students.

Currently, students are protected from bullying for: race, sex, religion, disabilities and national origin, but not sexual orientation or gender identity.

When the ESEA is brought to the floor of the Senate in either December or January, there is a push to attach the Student Non-Discrimination Act, HR 4350 (SNDA), to it.

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