Bill Title: To declare the third Friday in April the National Day
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 14)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-04-17 - To Education
[HCR13 Detail]Download: Ohio-2013-HCR13-Introduced.html
As Introduced | 130th General Assembly | | Regular Session | | 2013-2014 |
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Cosponsors:
Representatives Clyde, Rogers, Stinziano, Ramos, Szollosi, Pillich, Ashford, Fedor, Hagan, R., Lundy, Driehaus, Celebrezze, Williams
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION | To declare the third Friday in April the National Day | 1 |
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of Silence in Ohio to bring attention to | 2 |
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anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender | 3 |
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name-calling, bullying, and harassment in schools. | 4 |
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF OHIO
(THE SENATE CONCURRING): | WHEREAS, The National Day of Silence is a day in which | 5 |
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students take a vow of silence to bring attention to the anti- | 6 |
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lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender name-calling, bullying, | 7 |
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and harassment faced by individuals in schools; and | 8 |
| WHEREAS, The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network | 9 |
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designates the third Friday of every April as the National Day of | 10 |
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Silence; and | 11 |
| WHEREAS, Hundreds of thousands of students at more than 8,000 | 12 |
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schools have participated in the National Day of Silence in past | 13 |
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years; and | 14 |
| WHEREAS, The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network's | 15 |
| 2011 National School Climate Survey illustrates the pervasive | 16 |
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harassment and victimization faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and | 17 |
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transgender students by documenting their experiences within the | 18 |
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preceding academic year; and | 19 |
| WHEREAS, According to the report, nearly eighty-two per cent | 20 |
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of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students reported being | 21 |
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verbally harassed by their peers at school because of their sexual | 22 |
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orientation, and more than sixty per cent because of their gender | 23 |
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expression; and | 24 |
| WHEREAS, More than thirty-eight per cent of lesbian, gay, | 25 |
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bisexual, and transgender students reported being physically | 26 |
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harassed by their peers at school because of their sexual | 27 |
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orientation, and over twenty-seven per cent because of their | 28 |
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gender expression; and | 29 |
| WHEREAS, Over eighteen per cent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, | 30 |
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and transgender students reported being physically assaulted by | 31 |
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their peers at school because of their sexual orientation, and | 32 |
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more than twelve per cent because of their gender expression; and | 33 |
| WHEREAS, More than sixty per cent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, | 34 |
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and transgender students reported that they felt unsafe in school, | 35 |
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and nearly thirty per cent reported missing at least one entire | 36 |
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school day in the preceding month because of safety concerns; and | 37 |
| WHEREAS, Transgender students reportedly are more likely than | 38 |
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all other students to report feeling unsafe at school because of | 39 |
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their gender expression; and | 40 |
| WHEREAS, According to the National Transgender Discrimination | 41 |
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Survey, issued jointly by the National Center for Transgender | 42 |
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Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, those who | 43 |
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expressed a transgender identity or gender nonconformity while in | 44 |
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grades kindergarten through twelve reported alarming rates of | 45 |
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harassment, physical assault, and sexual violence so severe that | 46 |
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almost fifteen per cent of those surveyed had to leave school; and | 47 |
| WHEREAS, Student academic performance is affected such that | 48 |
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lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students who experienced | 49 |
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high levels of verbal harassment because of their sexual | 50 |
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orientation or gender expression report a grade point average | 51 |
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nearly a half grade lower than those of lesbian, gay, bisexual, | 52 |
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and transgender students who experienced low levels of such | 53 |
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harassment; and | 54 |
| WHEREAS, The presence of supportive staff contributed to a | 55 |
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range of positive indicators including fewer reports of missing | 56 |
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school, fewer reports of feeling unsafe, greater academic | 57 |
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achievement, higher educational aspirations, and a greater sense | 58 |
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of school belonging; and | 59 |
| WHEREAS, Cities and school districts in this state are | 60 |
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adopting policies to prohibit name-calling, bullying, harassment, | 61 |
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and discrimination against students on the basis of their sexual | 62 |
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orientation and gender identity or expression; and | 63 |
| WHEREAS, Every child should be guaranteed an education free | 64 |
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from name-calling, bullying, harassment, and discrimination | 65 |
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regardless of his or her sexual orientation and gender identity or | 66 |
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expression; now therefore be it | 67 |
| RESOLVED, That we, the members of the 130th General Assembly | 68 |
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of the State of Ohio, designate the third Friday of April of 2013 | 69 |
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as the National Day of Silence in Ohio, support the goals and | 70 |
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ideals of the National Day of Silence, and call on the people of | 71 |
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the state to observe the National Day of Silence with appropriate | 72 |
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ceremonies, programs, and activities; and be it further | 73 |
| RESOLVED, That we, the members of the 130th General Assembly | 74 |
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of the State of Ohio, encourage cities and school districts in | 75 |
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this state to adopt policies to prohibit name-calling, bullying, | 76 |
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harassment, and discrimination against students, teachers, and | 77 |
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other school staff regardless of their sexual orientation and | 78 |
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gender identity or expression, so that the state's schools are | 79 |
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institutions where all individuals are able to focus on learning; | 80 |
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and be it further | 81 |
| RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the House of Representatives | 82 |
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transmit duly authenticated copies of this resolution to the | 83 |
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Governor of Ohio and to the news media of Ohio. | 84 |
