University of Maryland Law Students Tackle Bullying

Now, according to the November 11^th wbaltv.com article, “University Law Students Target School Bullying”, a group of law students at the University of Maryland is working to propose stronger policies for protecting students victimized by bullying.

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The law students are focusing on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals. Studies conducted on a national basis suggest that these groups of students are particularly vulnerable to bullying.

During a daylong symposium organized by university law students, a diverse group of both legal and educational experts last week discussed the issue of bullying.

Among those participating in the discussion was Jonathan Brice, the head of Baltimore City's office for student support and safety. He was quoted as saying: “We certainly prohibit any type of bullying or other activity against students for any reason, including perceived or real sexual orientation, or just because they are different.”

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Law school professor Martha Ertman was quoted as saying in the wbaltv.com article: “What needs to be done by schools and by law is more insight than oversight, that just having cameras posted around isn't enough. Children have to realize that the targets and the bullying have more in common than they think.”

Law student Brooke Irving was quoted as saying: “I sort of began wondering, ‘How can we prevent some of these tragedies from happening? What type of policies can we implement that would sort of help protect these innocent children who rely on us as authority figures in places of power?’”

Although Maryland currently has an anti-bullying law in place to protect students regardless of race, religion, gender or sexual orientation, the group came to the conclusion that current policies needed to be ramped up.

According to information from the Maryland Department of Education, “A student is bullied when he or she is exposed repeatedly and over time to intentional negative actions on the part of one or more students, and whose ability to participate in and benefit from the school's educational programs or activities is adversely affected.”

Before becoming a teacher, Professor Martha Ertman clerked for the Honorable Peter H. Beer, a U.S. district court judge in Louisiana. As well, she practiced law in Denver and Seattle. She joined the University of Maryland’s Law School faculty in July 2007. She teaches contracts and commercial law, and seminars on commodification theory and legal history. Her writing focuses on the topics of bridging contracts, intimate affiliation, and focuses on improving family law, and feminist and gay/lesbian legal theory.

The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, also known as the University of Maryland School of Law, is located on the campus of the University of Maryland, in Baltimore. Founded in 1816, Maryland Law is fully accredited by the American Bar Association, a member of the Association of American Law Schools, and maintains a chapter of the Order of the Coif.

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