MONTPELIER — A group of Vermonters and advocates gathered at the State House on Tuesday to appeal to legislators about the dire need for legislative action on bullying and harassment in the state’s schools.
The news conference was hosted by Vermont Narratives for Change, a coalition of organizations in the state that hope to shed light on experiences with harassment, hazing and bullying in schools.
Coalition Co-coordinator Amanda Garces announced at the event that the group would be releasing a report in the coming weeks detailing key findings and recommendations for how state leaders can move forward.
Vermont Human Rights Commission Executive Director Big Hartman shared that while students have a legal right to education that is free from harassment and bullying, the Commission’s office receives new reports every day from families who have students failing to be protected by that right.
“We believe a holistic effort to address these issues statewide is needed. We cannot leave it to individual school administrators to deal with these issues. It’s going to take a statewide culture shift and a serious investment in energy and resources towards creating a safe and inclusive environment for all students,” Hartman said.
Hartman added that the state is seeing a spike in cases of harassment and discrimination against students in Vermont, particularly students of color, students with disabilities and students who identify as queer.
Garces, along with other coalition partners that spoke at the news conference, urged legislators to take immediate and decisive action this session, particularly in terms of passing H.130.
The bill, which is sitting in the House Committee on Education, centers on expanding the membership and duties of the Advisory Council on Harassment, Hazing and Bullying Prevention in Schools.
“You can go after this and tell (legislators) they need to move the bill forward,” Garces said. “We need to implement restorative and trauma informed practices. Punitive discipline alone does not fix our schools climates.”
Outright Vermont Executive Director Dana Kaplan also spoke at the Tuesday event, noting that bold and consistent state leadership is crucial, and passing H.130 is an essential step in addressing these concerns.
“It could not be more urgent to ensure Vermont is a place where all youth, including LGBTQ youth, are safe, supported and celebrated throughout our education systems,” Kaplan said. “Vermont must not, and will not, back down. We know that when institutions with power stand firmly on the side of justice, it does reassure young people.”
Heather Miller, a parent who lost her 14-year-old child Isabelle Jean Dykema-Vezina to suicide in September, asked audience members to remember the lives of Isabelle and other children who have died to suicide in recent years — reading their names and some of their attributes.
“There are many ways a person’s life may end. Suicide should not be one of them,” she said.
Mak Vezina, sister of Isabelle, told listeners that her younger sister did everything right and still watched the system fail her.
“She followed your outdated rules and your unenforced protocols and policies. She checked the boxes you told her she had to. She did the work. And she believed in your broken system because she had to,” Vezina said.
Garces said that this is not the first year advocates have requested action, adding that all too often, incidents of harassment and bullying go unrecognized and unaddressed.
She said leaders spend more time reacting to incidents than acting on solutions and that, as advocates, she and her fellow coalition members know what is needed to transform the system and the culture.
“I would like to ask our representatives here today: Where were you? What work were you doing while the Human Rights Commission’s chairperson position sat unoccupied? Where were you and what was your administration doing when it failed to meet for nearly two years with no change to legislation or policy? Who were you holding accountable while you were forcing our children to do the work for themselves?” Venzia asked.
More information about Vermont Narratives for Change is available at bit.ly/VTNarratives.
sophia.buckley-clement
@rutlandherald.com