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This letter was sent by OpenCongress user odouglasj on January 12, 2012 in support of H.R.4530 Student Nondiscrimination Act of 2010. Privacy setting: PUBLIC
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H.R.4530 Student Nondiscrimination Act of 2010
Dear Senators Durbin and Kirk
And Congressman Hultgren,

I am writing as your constituent in the 14th Congressional district of Illinois. I support H.R.4530 - Student Nondiscrimination Act of 2010, and am tracking it using OpenCongress.org, the free public resource website for government transparency and accountability.


I have read both arguments for and against this bill and I have come to believe that it is in the best interests of American school children that discrimination against students who identify as LGBT in any form should be explicitly prohibited. It sends a message to all students that their school is a safe environment and will not tolerate the type of harassment that is often ignored by officials.

Thank you in advance for protecting all American public school children.
Sincerely,
Orrin D. Jennings
This letter was a reply from the office of Sen. Mark Kirk [R, IL] on January 12, 2012.
Thanks for writing Senator Mark Kirk
Dear Friend:

Thank you for taking the time to contact my office. Your thoughts are
very important to me. We read each message sent and appreciate your
patience, as we receive more than 5,000 comments per day.

Sincerely,

Mark Kirk
United States Senator
This letter was a reply from the office of Sen. Mark Kirk [R, IL] on January 13, 2012.
Responding to your message






Dear Mr. Jennings:



Thank you for contacting me regarding bullying and harassment in
schools. I appreciate your thoughts on this important issue.



As a product of the public school system, I know that education holds
the key for future generations. Providing every child access to a
first-rate public education remains one of my top priorities. To do
this, we must ensure that our children feel safe and protected in
school. However, the recent surge in school bullying denies that
sentiment to many of our students. The problem is exacerbated by the
prevalence of texting and social networks.



That is why I introduced S. 506, the Safe Schools Improvement Act,
along with Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) on March 8, 2011. This bill would
require schools and districts receiving designated federal funds to
adopt codes of conduct specifically prohibiting bullying and
harassment. Moreover, the bill would ensure that schools and districts
implement effective prevention programs in order to better prevent and
respond to instances of bullying and harassment.



Additionally, we should make sure that all children receive an
education free from discrimination. For that reason, I support the
goals of S. 555, the Student Non-Discrimination Act of 2011, introduced
by Senator Al Franken (D-MN) on March 9, 2011. However, I am concerned
that the legislation in its current form could create excessive
litigation and take funds away from schools and education. Working with
Senator Franken, I am confident we will find a way to improve S. 555
and build bipartisan support as the Senate continues to pursue
education reform.



On October 20, 2011, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor &
Pensions (H.E.L.P.), a committee on which I sit, took a critical first
step towards reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act by approving a reauthorization bill in a bipartisan manner. I voted
to advance this reform bill out of committee with some provisions of
the Safe Schools Improvement Act. As this measure advances to the
Senate floor, I look forward to working to include additional
provisions to combat school bullying and eliminate discrimination.
Please be assured that I will keep your thoughts in mind as the
Congress continues to work to reform education.



Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. To stay informed
on important issues, I encourage you to visit my website at
http://kirk.senate.gov and my Facebook page at
http://www.facebook.com/SenatorKirk.



Very truly yours,
Signature
Mark Kirk
U.S. Senate





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Note to Congressional staff & elected officials reading this: this letter was sent through Contact-Congress features on OpenCongress.org, a free public resource website, but in the future we seek to compel the U.S. Congress to adopt fully open technology for constituent communications. For more information how your office can better handle public feedback through an open API and open standards, contact us -- even today, there are significantly more efficient and responsive ways for our elected officials to receive email feedback than the status quo of individual webforms. For greater public accountability in government, we must make the process of writing one's members of Congress more accessible and empowering. Looking ahead, we will release more data from Contact-Congress letters and Congressional response rates back into the public commons. This will result in a new open data source on bills & issues people care about, as well as encourage best practices in constituent communications and make it possible to grade members of Congress on their responsiveness & citizen satisfaction.

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