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Anti-Bullying Provisions Extended to Jews

The Civil Rights Act now applies

by
Marc Tracy
October 28, 2010
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.(T.J. Kirkpatrick/Getty Images)
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.(T.J. Kirkpatrick/Getty Images)

With bullying in the news due to the rash of gay suicides and the responding “It Gets Better” project, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan decided to apply part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that bars discrimination on campuses based on “race, color or national origin” to Jews. Said Rep. Brad Sherman (D-California), who pushed for a bill that would have changed the Act in this respect, “The policy is now clear: Colleges and universities will no longer be permitted to turn a blind eye when Jewish students face severe and persistent anti-Semitic hostility on their campuses. The schools will now be compelled to respond.”

The Anti-Defamation League has also recently prominently adopted bullying as a cause.

Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.