BILL NUMBER: SCR 100 CHAPTERED
BILL TEXT
RESOLUTION CHAPTER 119
FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE SEPTEMBER 10, 2012
APPROVED BY GOVERNOR SEPTEMBER 10, 2012
ADOPTED IN SENATE AUGUST 31, 2012
ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 30, 2012
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 30, 2012
INTRODUCED BY Senator Liu
(Coauthors: Senators Kehoe and Leno)
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Ammiano, Campos, Lara, Achadjian,
Alejo, Allen, Atkins, Beall, Bill Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield,
Bonilla, Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Butler, Charles Calderon,
Carter, Chesbro, Davis, Dickinson, Eng, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong,
Fuentes, Furutani, Gatto, Gorell, Hagman, Hayashi, Roger Hernández,
Huber, Hueso, Huffman, Jeffries, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza,
Mitchell, Monning, Nestande, Nielsen, Olsen, Pan, Perea, John A.
Pérez, V. Manuel Pérez, Portantino, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Swanson,
Torres, Wieckowski, Williams, and Yamada)
JUNE 26, 2012
Relative to California Bullying Prevention Day.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SCR 100, Liu. California Bullying Prevention Day.
This measure would declare December 12, 2012, as California
Bullying Prevention Day, and would recognize the need for
individuals, schools, communities, businesses, local governments, and
the state to take action on behalf of bullying prevention in
California.
WHEREAS, Bullying, a form of violence among children and youth, is
common on school playgrounds, in neighborhoods, and in homes
throughout California; and
WHEREAS, Bullying behaviors are recognized as dangerous and
harmful acts that victimize the targeted child and bystanders.
Bullying is a pattern of deliberate, negative, hurtful, aggressive
acts that works to shift the balance of physical, emotional, or
social power; and
WHEREAS, Bullying may take many forms, such as physical, verbal,
and relational or social. Physical bullying and verbal bullying are
usually considered to be a direct form, while relational bullying
refers to an indirect form of bullying, such as social exclusion and
spreading rumors; and
WHEREAS, As computers and cell phones are rapidly becoming popular
for adolescents, cyberbullying, or electronic bullying, is emerging
as a new form of bullying. Cyberbullying can be defined as a form of
aggression that occurs through personal computers or cell phones; and
WHEREAS, The prevalence of bullying among children and youth is
staggering, with studies nationally suggesting that 28 percent of
students were bullied at school and 6 percent were cyberbullied; and
WHEREAS, School bullying has been identified as a problematic
behavior among adolescents, affecting school achievement, prosocial
skills, and psychological well-being for both victims and
perpetrators; and
WHEREAS, Children and youth who are bullied are more likely than
other children to be depressed, lonely, anxious, have low
self-esteem, experience headaches, stomachaches, tiredness, and poor
eating, be absent from school, dislike school, and have poorer school
performance, and think about suicide or try to commit suicide; and
WHEREAS, Bullying can affect the social environment of a school,
creating a climate of fear among students, inhibiting their ability
to learn, and leading to other antisocial behavior; and
WHEREAS, If students are in fear for their own safety, they are
unable to concentrate on learning. An estimated 160,000 students stay
home from school every day due to bullying, thereby impacting
student achievement; and
WHEREAS, Bullying has long-term ramifications for public safety. A
bully is six times more likely to be incarcerated by the age of 24;
and
WHEREAS, Bullying is a cyclical problem and will not end without
intervention. Two-thirds of students who are targets become bullies
themselves; and
WHEREAS, Prevention of bullying requires coordination and
understanding. Twenty-five percent of students say that teachers
intervened in bullying incidents, while 71 percent of teachers say
they have intervened; and
WHEREAS, When collaboration occurs, the impact is tremendous. In
schools where there are bullying prevention programs, bullying is
reduced by 50 percent; and
WHEREAS, The most effective model is a comprehensive program using
a combination of interventions schoolwide, at the classroom level,
and at the individual level to create a social environment
characterized by positive adult involvement, firm limits for
unacceptable behavior, consistent use of sanctions for rule
violations, and recognition that adults are the authorities; and
WHEREAS, Restorative justice may be the most appropriate way to
prevent bullying. The aim of restorative justice is to reintegrate
those affected by wrongdoing back into the community as resilient and
responsible members. Restorative justice is a form of conflict
resolution and seeks to make it clear to the offender that the
behavior is not condoned, while at the same time being supportive and
respectful of the individual; and
WHEREAS, Current trends in prevention use programs that are
designed for middle to high school students. However, new research
shows that most bullying starts in elementary school, specifically in
grades 2 to 5, inclusive, therefore, intervention should start
earlier; and
WHEREAS, Writer, actor, director, and producer Gerry Orz was nine
years of age when he created a film called "Day of Silence." The film
targets elementary and middle school students and truthfully depicts
the life of a youth who is emotionally and physically bullied by a
peer; and
WHEREAS, Gerry's compelling story mixes fiction and reality to
demonstrate how bullying impacts a youth's schoolwork, family, and
well-being. He shares strategies for students, parents, and schools
that can protect children from being bullied; and
WHEREAS, Gerry decided to produce the video after being bullied at
school. He wanted to speak out and encourage others to do the same
in order to break the silence; and
WHEREAS, Gerry has turned an awful experience into a story that
will prevent bullying and be a source of hope for victims. In
addition to his film, Gerry has started a campaign to organize a
global day of silence on December 12, 2012, in an effort to raise
awareness about bullying. Gerry suggested other means of supporting
Bullying Prevention Day for those supporters who are unable to stay
silent on December 12, 2012; and
WHEREAS, Providing a safe school environment for children and
youth is a family, community, state, and national priority; and
WHEREAS, The future well-being of our state depends on the values
we place on our children and youth and in particular on our actions
to provide our young people with opportunities to acquire knowledge
and develop into healthy and productive adults; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Legislature declares December 12, 2012,
as California Bullying Prevention Day, and recognizes the need for
all of us as individuals, schools, communities, businesses, local
governments, and the state to take action on behalf of bullying
prevention in California; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.