D.C. Council Chairman and presumptive Mayor-elect Vincent Gray co-sponsored an anti-bullying bill and is pushing for a prompt hearing to turn it into law.
Introduced by Ward 5 Councilman Harry Thomas, the Harassment and Intimidation Prevention Act requires the D.C. public and charter school systems, as well as the Department of Parks and Recreation, University of the District of Columbia, and libraries to establish bullying prevention programs.
A Rutgers University student committed suicide after his roommate broadcast his sexual relations with another man over the Internet, in the most high-profile of several recent bullying cases that resulted in untimely deaths.
“Schools and institutions of learning have a very important role to play, along with parents in teaching tolerance, respect for diversity, and coping skills that can help diffuse incidents before they reach the boiling point of tragedy,” Gray said.
