Issue Positions: Protecting Our Kids at School and Online

Issue Position

Gretchen has been a strong advocate for comprehensive and effective anti-bullying legislation in Michigan and has been a leader in the Capitol on addressing the new and growing threat of cyberbullying.

Today's kids are just as vulnerable to harassment on Facebook as in the library, or in a chat room as they are the classroom. With the increased access to technology, kids are no longer safe from harassment even in their own home, and that's why Gretchen is working to develop public policy to protect our children from cyberbullying and provide law enforcement with the training they need to deal with these new situations.

Gretchen has also worked closely with her constituent Kevin Epling to pass Matt's Safe Schools Law, legislation that would establish a uniform statewide anti-bullying policy in Michigan schools that is named after Kevin's son Matt who tragically took his own life after suffering severe harassment and ridicule at school.

As the Legislature has debated Matt's Safe Schools Law and other anti-bullying legislation, Gretchen has fought for the strongest and most stringent anti-bullying that explicitly outlines the specific motives for bullying--including a student's physical attributes and appearance, religion, gender and sexuality--to better assist schools with identifying the root of bias-based harassment and preparing the proper response to address it.

When Senate Republicans tried to amend Matt's Safe School Law to provide bullies with a loophole that would have sanctioned their actions if they could claim they were doing it under the guise of religious beliefs or moral convictions, Gretchen led the fight against this "license to bully" and was successful in removing it before Matt's Safe School Law was signed by the Governor. Gretchen will continue to fight for the safety of ALL of our children against ANY type of bullying at school and online.

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