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The Safe Schools Improvement Act (SSIA) is a bipartisan bill that was recently introduced to help prevent bullying schools.

Though the bill seeks to protect children from bullying due to their actual or perceived race, color, national origin, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or religion, one huge category of children have been excluded– fat kids.  Also, there’s no protection with respect to short or tall kids either.

So please go to http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm and search the listing by State to find the names of your U.S. Senators. Then complete the form and ask them to amend the Safe Schools Improvement Act to include weight and height as a protected class.

Here’s a form letter to help you out!

Dear Senator ____________:

As you know, The Safe Schools Improvement Act (SSIA) is a bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate by Senators Bob Casey and Mark Kirk to help prevent bullying in schools. The Safe Schools Improvement Act would require schools and districts receiving designated federal funds to adopt codes of conduct specifically prohibiting bullying and harassment, including conduct based on a student’s actual or perceived race, color, national origin, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or religion.

While I support the intent of this legislation, there is an entire segment of children that would not be covered in this legislation as currently written, children who are fat or perceived to be fat.

There are numerous studies that outline the effects of bullying on children because of their size and/or body image.  Here are just a few links to articles on these studies

(http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/05/03/health/main615159.shtml and 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/05/03/us-obese-s-idUSTRE6421XQ20100503).

Along with fat children, short children are often bullying victims due to their size.

Therefore, I ask that you to submit an amendment to the Safe Schools Improvement Act to include weight and height as a prohibited basis for bullying.

Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

______________________

Fat Activist