Charles Bakker: Antibullying law is the wrong fix

The antibullying amendment proposed in Minnesota would expand bullying guidelines to cover sexual orientation, national origin, physical characteristics and probably a bunch of other things once all is said and done. Proponents of this amendment are trying to work out gaps and inconsistencies in the law, hoping that more students will feel safer in schools. Many have shared their own compelling stories of how they were terrified to go to school, fearing physical, mental and emotional abuse by their peers. These students absolutely deserve the right to go to school in a safe environment.

Unfortunately, the law is where many of them will turn to for this solution even though laws already exist.

Reading some of these accounts, I was saddened by how such horrible things could happen to kids and how we as school officials could be so oblivious to bullying taking place, seemingly right under our noses. So now we look to the law to do something about it. Always the law.

After all, once bullies hear that there are 14 new categories protected under the bullying law, bullies will most certainly take out their pads and pencils, note the changes, and cease bullying those particular kids. Gay children would be gay without fear. Big-nosed children would no longer know that they have big noses, and children from Canada no longer would be laughed at when they end their statements with, "eh." It's just that simple.

As for the bullied -- those who have justified and rational fears about coming forward to tell someone they are being bullied -- they could wander anywhere, worry-free, knowing that the law is now strong. Should they encounter a bully in an arcade, at a park, or even in their own back yards, they could take heart, knowing that the law will protect them. After all, bullies are conscientious of the law.

And parents and teachers could breathe easily again, knowing that they did something about bullying, and that all is right with children again -- that is until we would need to amend the law again in five years when we discover that we need the law to get tougher because we missed three or four other categories that the law doesn't cover.

Here is the reality: We go after bullies, then the parents of the bullies get their own lawyers and fight back under the veil of the right of their children to be educated.