Join the Michigan Democratic Party LGBT & Allies Caucus (www.mdplgbt.org) and the Michigan School Tolerance Campaign on Saturday, April 9 at 10:00 am in Howell, MI for a march to end bullying in Michigan schools. Please meet behind the Court House at 200 E. Grand River. This is part of a broad-based, bipartisan effort to pass the enumerated version of the anti-bullying bill Senator Glen Anderson proposed during this legislative session. Wayne State University Law Professor Jocelyn Benson, Michelle Brown of the National Black Justice Coalition, Phil Volk Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party LGBT Caucus, and Christopher Armstrong and Brendan Campbell of the U of M Student Assembly will speak.

While the march is about opposing bullying in schools in general, the Michigan School Tolerance Campaign is also working on getting the state legislature to pass Senator Anderson’s SB 0159, a strong bill against bullying in K-12 schools. The bill specifies that certain groups of students who have traditionally been the targets of bullying must be protected under the law, including youth with disabilities and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth. Please note that the bill states that ALL bullying must stop in schools. The enumeration, or listing of groups that must be protected, is simply to prevent school officials from excusing or turning a blind eye to bullying of certain groups of students whom schools have not traditionally protected.