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PRINTER'S NO. 2307
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
450
Session of
2017
INTRODUCED BY KINSEY, DONATUCCI, HENNESSEY, TAYLOR, QUIGLEY,
VAZQUEZ, TOOHIL, BOBACK, MURT, CALTAGIRONE, STURLA, READSHAW,
DUSH, SONNEY, SOLOMON, SAINATO, RABB, FRANKEL, WHEATLEY,
BIZZARRO, ROZZI, SCHLOSSBERG, WATSON, LONGIETTI, DiGIROLAMO,
BULLOCK, V. BROWN, McNEILL, ROEBUCK, GOODMAN, MILLARD, KIM,
KAVULICH, HILL-EVANS, MARSICO, FREEMAN, JAMES, WARREN,
D. COSTA, PASHINSKI AND DEASY, AUGUST 18, 2017
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
AUGUST 18, 2017
A RESOLUTION
Designating the month of October 2017 as "Bullying Prevention
Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania to help Pennsylvanians
recognize bullying, stop bullying and gain the tools needed
to appropriately deal with situations involving bullies.
WHEREAS, A recent United States Department of Health and
Human Services study shows that 28% of students in grades 6
through 12 and 20% of students in grades 9 through 12 have
experienced bullying; and
WHEREAS, The United States Department of Justice states that
37% of all students do not feel safe at school; and
WHEREAS, Whether verbal, physical or via the Internet,
bullying can severely affect a student's self-image, social
interactions and school performance and can lead to insecurity,
lack of self-esteem and depression in adulthood; and
WHEREAS, School dropout rates and absences among victims of
bullying are much higher than among other students; and
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WHEREAS, Children who have been identified as bullies by 8
years of age are 6 times more likely to have a criminal
conviction by 24 years of age; and
WHEREAS, Children who are bullies may continue to be bullies
as adults and are more prone to abuse a child or a spouse; and
WHEREAS, There are three interrelated reasons why students
bully: a strong need for power and dominance, satisfaction in
causing injury to or suffering among other students and
attention seeking; and
WHEREAS, Bullying is much more complex and varied than the
presumed stereotype; and
WHEREAS, Bullying by both girls and boys is not easily
defined as solely physical aggression; and
WHEREAS, Bullying can occur quietly and covertly, through
gossip or the Internet, causing emotional damage; and
WHEREAS, Bullying, overt bullying and covert bullying
includes derogatory comments, name-calling, social exclusion or
isolation, hitting, kicking, shoving or spitting, lying,
creating rumors, taking money, taking or damaging property,
threatening or forcing others to perform acts and targeting
individuals based on race, sex or gender; and
WHEREAS, An act is classified as bullying when the behavior
hurts or harms another person physically or emotionally and the
behavior is virtually impossible to stop; and
WHEREAS, Bullying includes creating an imbalance of power,
with a bully having more power physically, socially or
emotionally over a victim; and
WHEREAS, Depression, low self-esteem, health issues, poor
grades and suicidal thoughts are consequences of bullying; and
WHEREAS, It may be hard to recognize the difference between
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playful teasing and bullying, but they are not the same; and
WHEREAS, Teasing by two or more friends of equal power seems
enjoyable for everyone and never involves physical or emotional
abuse; and
WHEREAS, Bullying impacts students targeted by the behavior,
students who witness the behavior and students who engage in the
behavior; and
WHEREAS, When bullying continues and a school does not act,
the entire school climate is affected in many ways; and
WHEREAS, An environment of fear and disrespect can develop;
and
WHEREAS, Students may have learning difficulties or feel
insecure; and
WHEREAS, Students may dislike school, perceiving that
teachers and staff have little control and do not care about
them; and
WHEREAS, There is no Federal law that specifically applies to
bullying, but schools are legally obligated to address certain
bullying as harassment; and
WHEREAS, The Office for Civil Rights in the United States
Department of Education and the United States Department of
Justice have stated that bullying is considered to be harassment
when based on a student's race, color, national origin, sex,
disability or religion; and
WHEREAS, Bullying can last well into adulthood, when abuse is
most likely to occur in the workplace; and
WHEREAS, According to a 2014 workplace survey, more than 37
million workers in the United States have experienced some form
of workplace bullying and 28.7 million workers have witnessed
bullying; and
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WHEREAS, Many adults find themselves emotionally tormented by
fellow employees, neighbors, aggressive friends and spouses; and
WHEREAS, Harassing behaviors include unwelcome conduct such
as name-calling, epithets, slurs, graphic or written statements
or threats and assault or other acts that are physically
threatening, harmful or humiliating; and
WHEREAS, "Bullying Prevention Awareness Month" is a monthlong
effort that encourages everyone to take an active role in the
bullying prevention movement; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
month of October 2017 as "Bullying Prevention Awareness Month"
in Pennsylvania to help Pennsylvanians recognize bullying, stop
bullying and gain the tools needed to appropriately deal with
situations involving bullies.
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