Political Quotes

“I rise to speak in support of the Student Non-Discrimination Act, which Senator Franken is offering as an amendment to the Every Child Achieves Act. The Student Non- Discrimination Act would help protect our students from bullying, harassment, and discrimination. I am a proud cosponsor of this amendment and hopeful the Senate will agree to this amendment this week. As we consider the Every Child Achieves Act, as we did in committee back in April, and as we have discussed it on the floor over the last week, I have been guided by a core principle: that this law should ensure that every child, regardless of his or her background, regardless of his or her family's income, has access to the opportunities provided by a great education, a high-quality education. Now, part of providing that opportunity is ensuring that every student is able to come to school and succeed in an environment that is safe, supportive, and free from discrimination. While the Every Child Achieves Act helps advance opportunity for students in numerous ways, it falls short in addressing a significant problem limiting the achievement of some of our most vulnerable students. Unfortunately, there are still far too many stories of harassment, of bullying, and of discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students at the hands of their peers but also, sadly, sometimes at the hands of their teachers or administrators as well.…”