View freshman portfolio here: http://tiffanyalanaaugust.wix.com/freshmenportfolio

Senate Bill 525

A bill relating to: Education
Be it enacted by the legislature of the state of Hawaii:

Essential Question: If the bill is passed, how will the students be affected personally and academically?

Summary:

1.        This act shall be known as the safe schools act. The legislature

2. believes that all students have the right to participate in a safe

3. environment, free from bullying, cyber bullying, harassment, and

4. discrimination. A non-disruptive environment is needed for all students 5. to strive for high academic standards.

6.        The state holds the responsibility to provide a respectful, safe

7. learning environment where all members of the present school

8. community, no matter their race, sexuality, different beliefs or

9. characteristics. All are to be treated with respect and dignity in order to

10. realize their full potential within the community. The purpose of this 11. act is to protect students from cyber bullying and harassment, as well 12. as to prohibit discrimination in Hawaii’s public and charter schools.

13.      The new additions made shall apply to all public schools and public 14. charter schools governed by 302. Any act of “bullying,” meaning any 15. written, verbal, graphic, or physical act that a student or group of

16. students exhibits to a particular student or group that causes mental 17. or physical harm, and is harmful that creates an increasingly

18. intimidating, threatening, or abusive environment for the school

19. community. “Cyber bullying,” meaning electronically transmitted acts 20. through the Internet, cellular phone, personal data assistant, or

21. wireless handheld device are also prohibited. Those that are

22. transmitted include text messages, blogs, photos, e-mails, video clips, 23. drawings, faxes, information taken from social networking sites, or any 24. combination of those listed. Acts such as those listed above that occur 25. on school premises, using a school owned object (such as a car or

26. computer), or school system is strictly not allowed.

27.      An individual of the school community shall not be treated or

28. respected any differently because of disabilities (mental or physical), 29. race, color, religion, ancestry, natural origin, nationality, political

30. party preference, gender or gender identity, martial status, familial

31. status, physical appearance, or sexual orientation.

32.      “Harassment” shall include any variation or act of the following:

33. physical contact for offensive intent, verbal abuse for offensive intent, 34. making verbal or non-verbal expressions or gestures that may be

35. perceived as offensive, hurtful, threatening, or pressured involving

36. those of the categories listed in above paragraph, name calling, causing 37. fear to prevent others from a safe environment, sexual harassment, or 38. physically hurting or stalking another.

39.      Any misconduct as listed above will result in suitable punishment. It 40. is required that the following are posted in every room and school

41. vehicle: definitions of bullying/cyber bullying/harassment, a statement 42. of prohibition of acts listed beforehand, and consequences when

43. engaging in acts listed beforehand. The school board, allowing

44. anonymous reports of incidents, shall provide specification of reports 45. of bullying. No staff shall get involved with any occurring incidents, but 46. report it to the office. The government may require teachers to

47. complete classes on bullying etc. The government to support this bill, 48. which will take effect on July 1, 2013, shall provide an approximate 49. amount of $500,000. 

Persuasive Speech:

        Bullying can affect students academically, emotionally, and physically. 1 in 7 students from grades kindergarten to 12 are either bullies, or are the victims of bullying, and 1 in 10 of those victims end up dropping out of school due to the continuous harassment they've had to endure. This bill not only stops bullying, it also allows students to know that they could walk through school halls knowing that they're safe from harsh words of physical abuse from other students. This bill will hopefully allow victims of bullying to achieve higher academic standards than in a situation where they are forced to pay more attention to bullies rather than their education. Students should be able to know that they have rights under federal laws if they are being discriminated against their nationality, gender, or disability. If this bill is passed, we hope create a safe environment where bullying is not tolerated, and to make a future where students are respected for their beliefs, backgrounds, and personalities. This will make a big difference to how schools are today. Our futures rely on the education we receive, and we cannot let bullying affect our futures. We need to take a stand against bullying to make sure that not only our generation, but also future generations will not have to be forced into a life-threatening situation at such an immature age.