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The
Florida
Department
of
Education
approved
its
model
anti-bullying
policy
Tuesday,
setting
a
standard
by
law
for
the
state’s
72
school
districts
to
assure
that
all
students
and
faculty
will
be
protected
from
schoolyard
bullying
and
harassment.
The
anti-bullying
policy
includes
a
fund
of
$75
million
for
implementation,
to
be
distributed
amongst
school
districts
that
comply
with
the
state’s
guidelines.
The
DOE’s
policy
comes
two
months
after
State
Legislators
passed
the
Jeffrey
Johnston
Stand
Up
For
Children
Act,
named
after
a
Cape
Coral
teen
who
committed
suicide
after
being
bullied
online.
Gov.
Charlie
Crist
signed
the
bill
into
law
June
13.
It
was
the
only
bill
with
large
gay
interest
to
pass
into
law
this
session.
Other
gay
friendly
bills,
including
bills
on
gay
adoption,
civil
rights,
and
domestic
partners,
did
not
get
read
on
the
legislature
floor.
And
while
it
passed,
it
did
so
without
the
specific
categories,
such
as
protections
for
harassment
based
on
sexual
orientation
and
gender
identity
and
expression.
However,
the
bill’s
sponsors
made
assurances
that
legislative
intent
was
to
protect
all
students,
including
GLBT
students.
According
to
the
state’s
policy,
“bullying”
is
defined
a
by
repeated
behaviors
that
cause
hurt
or
distress
to
students
such
as
stalking,
intimidation,
physical
violence
and
sexual,
religious
or
racial
harassment
among
others.
But
each
school
district
can
add
categories
as
long
as
it
complies
with
the
state’s
model.
Broward
County
School
District’s
policy
is
among
the
most
inclusive
policies
of
the
program
so
far.
Unlike
the
state’s
more
general
language,
Broward
lists
sexual
orientation
and
gender
expression
and
identity
as
categories.
Amalio
Nieves
and
Shelly
Heller,
co-chairs
of
Broward’s
Anti-Bullying
Task
Force,
said
they
developed
the
inclusive
policy
to
assure
that
no
one
was
left
out.
The
Broward
policy
relies
mostly
on
education
and
prevention
of
bullying
incidents.
“We
look
at
it
from
a
prevention,
not
a
punitive,
position,”
Nieves
said.
“How
do
we
create
a
climate
where
everyone
feels
secure.”
The
Broward
School
Board
unanimously
approved
the
policy
at
its
meeting
July
22.
Starting
July
28,
Broward
school
administrators
will
begin
a
mandatory
six-hour
training.
Teachers
start
anti-bullying
seminars
Aug.
28.
Students
will
be
forming
their
own
anti-bullying
campaigns
to
raise
awareness
throughout
the
school
year.
“What
we’re
trying
to
do
is
change
the
culture
of
how
people
think,”
Heller
said.
“We’re
teaching
a
culture
of
respect
that
allows
people
to
change
over
time.”
Mallory
Wells,
public
policy
coordinator
for
Equality
Florida,
said
that
Broward’s
policy
is
recognized
as
the
kind
of
inclusive
policy
Equality
and
other
civil
rights
groups
support.
“Broward
has
been
a
real
leader
in
their
policy,”
she
said.
However,
Wells
said
there
will
be
other
districts
that
will
not
be
as
open—like
Okeechobee
School
District,
where
there
is
an
ongoing
federal
lawsuit
to
allow
the
Okeechobee
High
School
Gay
Straight
Alliance
to
organize.
“It
would
be
unrealistic
to
say
there
won’t
be
any
trouble,”
Wells
said.
“We
will
be
monitoring
the
process
and
will
be
consulting
with
a
legal
team
if
they
encounter
a
school
district
that
does
not
comply
fairly.”
The
organization
will
hold
local
implementation
meetings
in
the
coming
weeks
in
10
cities
throughout
the
state
to
address
inclusive
policies.
The
group’s
GSA
coordinator
will
also
be
touring
various
student
groups
to
encourage
students
to
remain
involved
in
the
process.
The
state
will
begin
sending
its
template
policy
to
school
districts
July
31.
Each
district
has
until
Dec.
1
to
have
its
own
anti-bullying
policy
approved
by
the
DOE.
Brooks
Rumenik,
director
of
the
DOE
Office
of
Safe
Schools,
said
Broward’s
policy
is
being
used
as
an
example
by
other
districts
in
the
state.
“As
a
means
of
doing
this
we
are
providing
a
school
districts
with
a
checklist,”
Rumenik
said.
If
school
districts
do
not
comply,
they
lose
their
portion
of
the
state’s
$73
million
appropriation
for
schools
that
participate
appropriately.
Rumenik
said
the
state’s
policy
is
designed
to
allow
local
districts
to
take
the
lead.
“For
most,
it
will
be
in
their
best
interest
to
be
more
inclusive,”
she
said.
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