[judgementday]

Whatever happened to being tough and standing up for yourself?
Now we have to have laws against a kid picking on a kid?
Its just ridicolous, i see this as a loophole kind of ways for gays to scream foul evertime someone calls them a name.

Which is probably the reason why it was shot down.

In regards to kids standing up for themselves, I agree with you there. The problem there is with school policies. A kid stands up to a bully, he gets the same punishment as the aggressor. Now, the principal has the option to use his best judgement but normally both receive the same punishment so that it doesn't look like favortism or keep them from "governing their students", as it was put to me once.

[Hoot Gibson]

I see what you are saying but wouldn't the bolded above fall under "other distinguishing personal characteristic"?

That is the problem with using ambiguous terms like "other distinguishing characteristic." The author{s} of the bill are obviously tryig to make the law apply to particular subsets of students. Otherwise, there would be no reason to describe particular instances where the law would apply. IMO, a "distinguishing personal characteristic" would be something inseparable from an individual. Wearing red shoes in the wrong neighborhood would not meet the requirement, IMO - but that point is debatable and would be debated by anybody accused under the law. There is no reason that the bill needed to be restricted to certain groups of students, except to possibly appeal politically to the parents of the students who would purportedly be protected by the law.

[RunItUpTheGut]

Which is probably the reason why it was shot down.

In regards to kids standing up for themselves, I agree with you there. The problem there is with school policies. A kid stands up to a bully, he gets the same punishment as the aggressor. Now, the principal has the option to use his best judgement but normally both receive the same punishment so that it doesn't look like favortism or keep them from "governing their students", as it was put to me once.

So true.
Most schools, if not all, now have cameras in every inch of the school.
If kids would just report it and get it over with and know that its okay to do so then it would help a lot.
Parents are at fault to though, if you dont know whats going on in your childs life, then your just as much to blame.
I believe everyone would like to see bullying end, but until the end of time, there will always be bullies.