"This was the absolute wrong thing to do for the children of Michigan," said anti-bullying activist Kevin Epling.
These harsh words came after the Michigan senate passed an anti-bullying bill Wednesday. The bill is meant to protect students from bullying at school, but makes exceptions for moral convictions.
Epling says this bill only makes excuses for allowing bullying. @@@
Bullying is something Epling has been battling for years. His son, Matt, took his own life in 2002 after being bullied. He says the way senate bill 137 was passed Wednesday, it does little to protect children.
"We were on the right path, we had our first revision and somehow we jumped to the 4th revision with just an incomprehensible paragraph added," said Epling.
That paragraph makes exceptions for "statements of religious belief" or "moral conviction."
"It really in a nutshell gives somebody the right to reach out and hurt somebody and then claim, it was against my religious beliefs so...," said Epling.
Gary Glenn, the president of the American Family Association of Michigan says that's simply not true. @
"It would be an absurd characterization to say that in any way encouraged or allowed bullying," said Glenn, "it was inserted to make sure that no student is bullied because they simply express their opinions."
Epling says after waiting nearly a decade to see a bill that protects children, this one seems to be telling students how to get away with bullying.
"Right now if a child doesn't have strong religious beliefs, he's gonna be picked on by kids who do have strong religious beliefs and it's gonna be perfectly okay for them to do that," said Epling.
"Well, I think that's an absurd and ridiculous argument, it does no such thing, there is no language in it that even approaches such a ridiculous charge, it equally protects all students, from all bullying for all reasons," said Glenn.
As the bill moves forward to the house, Epling hopes our representatives will see it differently and will take that paragraph out.
Epling would also like to see an addition to the bill requiring schools to report bullying incidents to the State Board of Education.
