SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys) issued the following statement this evening regarding the Governor’s veto of AB 606 – The Safe Place to Learn Act – which would have provided guidance and direction to school districts in implementing California’s existing laws regarding anti-discrimination and harassment in schools:

“I’m extremely disheartened by the Governor’s veto of this important measure. His claim that current law already protects California’s kids is just plain wrong. The facts are that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students are more likely than their peers to use drugs or to be victimized by violence, more than twice as likely to seriously consider suicide, and over three times more likely to carry a weapon to school or stay home because they feel unsafe. By declining to sign AB 606, the Governor has let these students down.”

AB 606 would have created a model antidiscrimination and harassment policy for school districts to adopt and publicize; provided that schools, during the normal course of reprinting, updated all applicable publications on school safety to include information on bias-related discrimination and harassment; and ensured that schools document all complaints brought forward by students.