Thread by @uptakemn

On Monday, February 21st 2022 the Minnesota House Education Policy Committee Meeting convened to listen to Testimony on bullying in schools, discuss HF3260 (Hanson), and HF3378 (Berg).

Roll has been taken and a quorum is present. Meetings from 2/16 have been moved and approved.

First Testifyer to come before Committee is Jerome Treadwell- Executive Director of Minnesota Teen Activists, the largest social justice organization that is student lead in the state. (instagram.com/mnteenactivist…)

"The mission of our organization is to eradicate Social Justice issues in schools, and if you don't believe that Social Justice issues exist in schools then you should eradicate your seat today."

"I'm here to represent all Minnesota students who experience bullying, and social justice issues across the state"

"Today and forevermore I implore you to do the right thing"

Usrah Abawari, Student at St. Paul Highland Park, "I am a Muslim woman, and just like my blackness, I wear my Religion. The first time I experienced discrimination was in third grade when my hijab was ripped off and I was called a terrorist."

"Teachers and staff categorized Muslim students as "good" or "bad" which caused me to become ostracized from my community, and if I acted out or changed behavior I was reminded that I was not one of the bad kids."

CJ- Senior at Richfield High School- "I have had to deal with a lot of racism and a lot of tyrannical administrators. My Chemistry teacher called me and some of my friends thug for going to walk-out after George Floyd, and he said that George Floyd's life didn't matter."

"The administration said there was nothing they could do, and it took me going to a school board meeting to hold that teacher accountable."

"In retaliation for going to the School Board the Principal put me on lockdown within the school and I was not permitted to go anywhere without the Principal or Vice Principal escorting me. I was treated like a prisoner in the school."

My'a Calvert- Junior, Prior Lake High School- "Attending Prior Lake has severely impacted my mental and physical health. I was bullied for the shape of my body which caused me to stop consuming as much food and soon develop an eating disorder. I have had pencils and water bottles

thrown at me, and have been bullied and harassed for my skin color, weight, and hair texture. I feel unsafe in public and have intense waves of anxiety. I have a little sister experiencing the same thing, and I just want this cycle to stop because it leaves permanent scars."

Juwaria Jama: A Black Muslim student who attends Spring Lake Park is testifying regarding the bullying she and her friend have faced from their peers, and from teachers.

Peyton Adam- Alum of Prior Lake High School- "I am a white-passing woman with autism. My English teacher said the 'n-word' while teaching, students were given a packet regarding the history of the 'n-word'. We would be called slurs for our beliefs. I have been out of PLHS for two

years, and the cycle keeps repeating. The Principal has promised to do something and still hasn't. I have no hope left except this Bill"

Aayliah Murray- Founder of Minnesota Teen Activists- "Since founding MNTA I have stories from all across Minnesota regarding bullying and harassment of students. In 2020 MNTA conducted a survey across MN- 42% of students have experienced harassment in school. The majority of

students are experiencing some sort of bullying and harassment."

Birgen Hartman- Certified Consent- Culture Educator, advocate for Erin's Law (revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/…). I began reaching out to schools last year to see how they were implementing Erin's Law and to date not one teacher or administrator has heard of or implemented the law"

"Conflict avoided is conflict multiplied. Kids are taking to Social Media and begging for help, and we need to direct existing funds to enforce Erin's Law and this measure on the floor today."

Aleah DeGroot- Junior, Lakeville North- "Growing up in a majority white school and community meant that we were taught about bullying but not about racism, sexism, classism, or any other type of bigotry. Our experiences have been ignored, other students of color and I have had to

listen to students sharing their own horrible experiences. Students do not feel safe in these schools and this Bill is a start to help students feel safe."

Ayane Jarson- Highland Park Senior High School- "I have faced racism, colorism, and Islamophobia both in and out of school, and it always hurts more when it takes place in school because students are told that they are safe in school; That has not been my experience."

"Our authority leaders in school never want to call it like it is. People's ignorance is harmful and the sooner we act on it the sooner we can build a safe school environment"

Resident of Prior Lake- My daughter has been targeted by teachers, and staff since she was in second grade. She has experienced physical and emotional bullying. She is a seventh-grader at Hidden Oaks and hears KKK and Proud Boys slurs from both teachers and students.

School district leaders do nothing. My daughter has tried to kill herself, tried to steal alcohol to numb the pain, and she is in severe mental and emotional trauma from all she has endured. What side of history do you want to be on?

HF3260 has been moved to be laid over for possible inclusion and is brought by Representative Jessica Hanson (DFL, Burnsville).
HF3260: Education; malicious and sadistic conduct prohibited involving race, religion, sexual harassment, sexual orientation, and sexual exploitation"

"I appreciate you taking the time to hear the testimony of students and parents, and I think we can all agree that the safety of our students in our schools has to be important. There is a reason we are often called the "Jim Crow of the North". Neither processes we have on the

books are sufficient for students who need support in the immediate aftermath of trauma incurred by students across the State of Minnesota. I have received over 10,000 stories regarding the malicious treatment students have experienced in school and this Bill seeks to begin to

address the root cause of the bullying. It's time that we grow and adapt our policies that protect our students against malicious and sadistic behaviors."

Summer Field- Student in Lakeville- Sexually assaulted by her 7th grade STEM teacher in Lakeville who had been fired from his previous schools. I am changed forever by the actions of my teachers. I told my parents, they immediately called the school district and discovered that

other students had had experiences with this teacher and they did nothing about it. I had a Victim Statement in September with the Principal and a female Dean, there is no safety plan for me, no one has ever spoken to me about it, and the District has not provided me with

mental health support. I am in Eighth Grade now and I do not take STEM, but this teacher will show up in my classrooms, and walk around. I have had to walk under his arms to get into my classroom, and the school put him as a substitute in my class. I had a severe panic attack

and went to the School Nurse who did her job and mandatory reported. It had been 77 days since the attack and no one, until that nurse, had done their job. My family and I decided to get me a Harassment Restraining Order, and still the school did nothing. It got to be so unsafe

that my sister and I had to leave school- leave our friends, our singing group, our play. My sister and I are not a part of our neighborhood school, and the school kept this STEM teacher instead of us as students. I should never have had to leave my school to keep myself safe.

Our future depends on adults doing the work to keep us safe."

Ana Negrete- Parent of Lakeville student- My daughter has experienced racism at the hands of many, including a para-professional tutor who said, "The Savages killed my people too.".

Erin Bjorge: Parent of Prior Lake students- Her daughters, who were in middle school at the time, were cut from the Dance Team at age where no cuts are typically made in PL. Erin met with the Coach of the team and was told that she looks for dancers who are "exactly alike".

Erin's daughters are adopted from Ethiopia. As the season had already begun there was nothing that could be done, but schools need clear and specific training and guidance, as well as actionable consequences.

Tamara Grady- School Board Director for Osseo Schools, and parent of two LGBTQ+ students- "Navigating adolescent identity is difficult enough, but it is even more difficult when your peers are telling you that your identity is wrong."

Representative Scott (R, Andover): "In 2014 when Safe and Supportive Schools was passed it was not without controversy as it does not apply to teachers, many of the cases that I've just heard about could have been avoided if the Republican Amendment in 2014 had been passed."

"I do think this current law is strong enough and I have a difficult time with 'malicious' and 'sadistic' verbiage being in the law."

Representative Hanson: "If the existing law was working then we wouldn't have all of these instances occurring without consequence."

Representative Erickson (R): "I am disappointed that you did not explain the provisions of the Bill as the public needs to know what it means. Have the Bullying and Human Rights statutes failed in our state?"

Representative Hanson: "I would wholeheartedly say yes, without question. This is not the end all be all, but this is a start. I can connect with persons who have gone through the processes as they stand so you can hear the failures."

Representative Erickson: "We pass laws every day and we must rely on the Organizations that safeguard our classrooms to enforce the laws we pass every year. I am so disappointed in MDE for not enforcing laws like Erin's Law and our current anti-bullying laws."

HF3260 has been held over for possible inclusion in the House Omnibus Bill.

HF3378- Student bullying policy provisions modified- brought by Representative Berg (DFL- Burnsville): "I hope every single one of the Committee members listening feels a pit in their stomach because I know it is the same pit our students and their parents experience everyday"

"When we passed Safe and Supportive schools in 2014 it didn't work, and I don't think we would have had 10,000 stories come to light if it had worked. We have come to HF3378 which has three components to it.

The first is the mechanism through which School Districts need to report to the Commissioner of Education that they have talked about their anti-bullying policies to their students, staff and anyone who works in the school. They have to report their progress to the Commissioner.

The second part is that they must follow a three year training cycle that every adult in the school must go through a three year training cycle, and we can withhold funding from the school district if they fall short. We need to ensure there is an anti-retaliation piece as well.

Finally there is a Civil Penalty if any of this fails to come to fruition. This is the teeth that the 2014 Bill is missing."

Parent of 8 year old in Lakeville- "I am from Virginia, the former Capital of the Confederacy and have found Minnesota to be far more racist. My child cannot access an equitable education in Lakeville and has been assaulted and called racial slurs. It has been a year and a half

of a steel wall of silence and we have faced retaliation for trying to bring to light the treatment my son has faced. My son has been told by an adult that he does not belong in the school. The teacher still works in the school, and I was told by the Principal that she "lacked

the training to know better". We ask that these horrific examples inspire change and cause you to listen as we can only go so far to protect our children."

Marcy Katzenberger: "I now attend online school because I endured physical and emotional violence through my elementary and middle school in-person educational experience. I was jumped at my 7th grade Homecoming game, no teachers interfered. On that night I tried to take my life.

Cathy Katzenberger: "We have tried to address this situation in any capacity we could think of, change would be undermineded by teachers. It was a small situation that didn't matter. I had adults bullying me to try and make me shut up. Watching my daughter, who had a beautiful

personality, and a light to her; Watching that fade, and seeing her in so much pain is hard to try to be excited for her future because all she can see is how much people hate her right now."

"She is the one being punished, not her bullies. I was told the law is up to interpretation by each school and each school we have gone to has had a different interpretation."

Chris Commers- Recently retired teacher- "It has never been more difficult to support students in the social and emotional environment we are living in right now. We are enduring and attempting to cope with ever-changing societal pressures. This Bill is a practical & pragmatic"

Meg Luger- Lawyer for Education Minnesota- "Education Minnesota supports this Bill which is narrow in scope, but broad in substance. This Bill is intentional in ensuring that the measures of the Bill are implemented."

Representative Poston (R- Lake Shore): Can you expand on the penalty? How does that work?
Miss Luger: The Civil Penalty is per violation and would go to the District

Representative Bennett (R- Albert Lea): I feel like I don't have a good grasp on this Bill to be able to really vote on it. How much aid could this cost a District?
Miss Luger: The language refers to withholding State Funds and will likely be changed as the Bill evolves.

Representative Erickson (R- Princeton): "I just have to think we have to think about the lack of accountability in this Bill because Certification is not accountability. Ensuring that the policy is understood and followed through will take great diligence and work."

Representative Berg: "It is imperative that we get this right and I am willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that our students are taken care of. I hope our Committee remembers the courage of our testifiers when they vote."

HF3378: 11 Ayes, 7 Nays, 1 Abstain
The Motion Prevails and the Bill is referred to the Committee on Education Finance.
Meeting Adjourned.