Lawmakers fail to pass anti-bullying bill
By Anne Marie Apollo
Monday, May 8, 2006
Debbie Johnston doesn't think it would be possible for a state senator to vote against anti-bullying legislation inspired by the death of her son last summer.
The problem, she says, is senators never got a chance to throw their support behind it.
During the final days of the legislative session, the "Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up for All Students Act" didn't make it to the Senate floor, despite a volley of calls and faxes from Lee County in the final hours.
The measure, Senate Bill 1384, would have required school districts around Florida to adopt a policy prohibiting bullying and to establish a system to report, investigate and punish the cruelty.
Sponsored by Sen. Carey Baker, R- Eustis, the measure had received unanimous approval from the Senate Education Committee. The House last week unanimously passed a version of the measure, which is inspired by the story of Jeff Johnston, a 15-year-old Cape Coral teen who killed himself in June. His family believes the suicide was a culmination of years of cruelty Jeff faced at the hands of his classmates.
Debbie Johnston, Jeff's mother and a teacher at Cape Coral's Trafalgar Middle School, traveled twice to Tallahassee in support of the bill.
"It is so good in its intent," she said. "It's not something that should have ever been controversial. It's common sense. How could any politician face the parents after a Columbine-style shooting or another suicide and say we had a bill that could have done some good but I voted against it?"
The measure had the support of Gov. Jeb Bush. His office this week said it would be "disappointing" if the bill stalled in the Senate.
Johnston, who began corresponding with the governor in the months after her son's death, said she will not give up the fight to give teachers and school administrators tools to crack down on aggressive behavior in schools.
Rather, she said, advocates will redouble their efforts, and return to Tallahassee next year.
The bill would have been among the most aggressive in the country, advocates say. In extreme cases, a bully could have been moved to a different class, different school or even removed from the district if he or she posed enough of a threat to other students. It also required parents to seek treatment for their child if he or she was not making progress.
Jan Klein, prevention specialist with the Lee County School District's Safe and Drug Free Schools said the lack of movement on the state level won't stop local efforts to eliminate bullying.
For several years the School District has offered training in combating aggressive behavior to counselors, who work with students at individual schools. Klien said the district also is planning on a new program that would reward students who stand up against bullies.
It would be named for Jeff Johnston.
Jeff was still in elementary school the first time advocates tried to get a bully bill passed. Similar legislation has been introduced six years in a row without success.
Though supporters of that bill, authored by Rep. Kenneth Allan Gottlieb, D-Tallahassee, hadn't initially backed the measure inspired by Johnston, believing that it wasn't specific enough in naming which children would be protected, in the final days of this legislative session advocates across the state tried to sway Senate leaders to hear SB 1384.
Nadine Smith, executive director, of Equality Florida, an advocacy organization that fights discrimination based on sexual orientation, race, gender and class, was among those talking strategy with Johnston.
Though Tallahassee officials said the bully bill was a casualty to a lack of time as the session drew to a close, Smith said Senate leadership found time to work in discussion of a state dessert.
"I think it's unfortunate that there was time to designate key lime as the official pie and no time to take steps toward making schools safer for students," Smith said. "I think after session, everyone needs to ask their legislator whether they stood up and fought."
Source: Naples Daily News
Monday, May 8, 2006
Debbie Johnston doesn't think it would be possible for a state senator to vote against anti-bullying legislation inspired by the death of her son last summer.
The problem, she says, is senators never got a chance to throw their support behind it.
During the final days of the legislative session, the "Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up for All Students Act" didn't make it to the Senate floor, despite a volley of calls and faxes from Lee County in the final hours.
The measure, Senate Bill 1384, would have required school districts around Florida to adopt a policy prohibiting bullying and to establish a system to report, investigate and punish the cruelty.
Sponsored by Sen. Carey Baker, R- Eustis, the measure had received unanimous approval from the Senate Education Committee. The House last week unanimously passed a version of the measure, which is inspired by the story of Jeff Johnston, a 15-year-old Cape Coral teen who killed himself in June. His family believes the suicide was a culmination of years of cruelty Jeff faced at the hands of his classmates.
Debbie Johnston, Jeff's mother and a teacher at Cape Coral's Trafalgar Middle School, traveled twice to Tallahassee in support of the bill.
"It is so good in its intent," she said. "It's not something that should have ever been controversial. It's common sense. How could any politician face the parents after a Columbine-style shooting or another suicide and say we had a bill that could have done some good but I voted against it?"
The measure had the support of Gov. Jeb Bush. His office this week said it would be "disappointing" if the bill stalled in the Senate.
Johnston, who began corresponding with the governor in the months after her son's death, said she will not give up the fight to give teachers and school administrators tools to crack down on aggressive behavior in schools.
Rather, she said, advocates will redouble their efforts, and return to Tallahassee next year.
The bill would have been among the most aggressive in the country, advocates say. In extreme cases, a bully could have been moved to a different class, different school or even removed from the district if he or she posed enough of a threat to other students. It also required parents to seek treatment for their child if he or she was not making progress.
Jan Klein, prevention specialist with the Lee County School District's Safe and Drug Free Schools said the lack of movement on the state level won't stop local efforts to eliminate bullying.
For several years the School District has offered training in combating aggressive behavior to counselors, who work with students at individual schools. Klien said the district also is planning on a new program that would reward students who stand up against bullies.
It would be named for Jeff Johnston.
Jeff was still in elementary school the first time advocates tried to get a bully bill passed. Similar legislation has been introduced six years in a row without success.
Though supporters of that bill, authored by Rep. Kenneth Allan Gottlieb, D-Tallahassee, hadn't initially backed the measure inspired by Johnston, believing that it wasn't specific enough in naming which children would be protected, in the final days of this legislative session advocates across the state tried to sway Senate leaders to hear SB 1384.
Nadine Smith, executive director, of Equality Florida, an advocacy organization that fights discrimination based on sexual orientation, race, gender and class, was among those talking strategy with Johnston.
Though Tallahassee officials said the bully bill was a casualty to a lack of time as the session drew to a close, Smith said Senate leadership found time to work in discussion of a state dessert.
"I think it's unfortunate that there was time to designate key lime as the official pie and no time to take steps toward making schools safer for students," Smith said. "I think after session, everyone needs to ask their legislator whether they stood up and fought."
Source: Naples Daily News
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