California Legislature Considering Anti-Bullying Measure

The San Francisco Chronicle (3/15, Tucker) reports that under a bill introduced by California state assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D), "California school districts would have to increase anti-bullying efforts" and "create anti-harassment policies and programs that include bullying based on perceived or actual sexual orientation, if they don't already exist. They would also be required to have a system in place to ensure all reports of bullying are taken seriously and addressed immediately." The measure is "called Seth's Law, in memory of Seth Walsh, a 13-year-old gay student from Tehachapi, who killed himself in September. A proposal submitted last week in Congress in Seth's memory would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity in public schools."