Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President, and Attorney General Eric Holder joined forces in combating teen bullying as they addressed an audience of over 400 teachers, students, and community officials at the White House LGBT Conference on Safe Schools & Community in Arlington, Texas Tuesday.
“In March of 2010, we held the first-ever White House Conference on Bullying Prevention, attended by both the President and First Lady,” said Jarrett. “President Obama explained it this way: ‘If there’s one goal of this conference, it’s to dispel the myth that bullying is just a harmless rite of passage or an inevitable part of growing up. It’s not.’”
The Obama Administration has taken steps to include LGBT protection as a part of America’s civil rights laws including support for the goals of the Student Non-Discrimination Act – a policy that requires all students regardless of sexual orientation to be treated fairly and with respect – free from discrimination – within every school system in the United States.
Jarrett continued to describe how the Obama Administration is working to stop teen bullying, adding, “President Obama has also made it clear that it only gets better because we make it better. So in addition to raising awareness, the Obama Administration has taken historic steps to help prevent bullying in our schools.”
Jarrett concluded, “Know that the President of the United States is in your corner, and we will be with you every step of the way.”
