A new bill requiring public schools to enforce anti-bullying policies passed through Michigan’s Senate Thursday. But at the last minute, Republican lawmakers added an extra line saying that bullying on religious or moral grounds is exempt from punishment. “This is government-sanctioned bullying,” says Kevin Kipling, father of a bullied boy who committed suicide in 2002 and for whom the bill is named. Democrats have expressed concern for the safety of students, but the bill’s supporters say it’s the first step to getting the problem into the public eye.
