The Congressional Anti-Bullying Caucus

On Thursday, June 28th I joined a bipartisan group of colleagues in the House of Representatives to launch the Congressional Anti-Bullying Caucus. Below is a copy of my remarks:

“I represent the northern suburbs of Chicago and meet regularly with my Education and Parent’s Advisory Boards. It is troubling, that time and time again students, educators, and parents share with me the bullying that is occurring each and every day. Whether it is cyber bullying, youth bullying, mocking someone because of a learning disability, or more- it is wrong and we must raise awareness and address this real problem.  First and foremost, we must surround our children with positive role models and safe activities. I am also a member of the Mentoring Caucus and I believe that when people volunteer and spend time with our students, we are sending them a positive message.  As an Eagle Scout and Scoutmaster, I would encourage parents, neighbors, family members, teachers, peers, and more to get involved and demonstrate that bullying is wrong.  Let’s continue to work together to raise awareness and make sure we reserve this disturbing trend in our schools today.

“We know that bullying impacts our children’s performance and success inside and outside of the classroom – not to mention the impact bullying has on our student’s actually attending school. No child should ever have to fear going to school.  By elevating the discussion in Congress, this Caucus will take the anti-ullying conservation to the next level. I thank my colleagues for bringing this Caucus together and look forward to working with all my colleagues in the House to address this serious issue.“