Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Vermont advocate urges excused absences and advisory-council reforms in school harassment bill testimony
Loading...
Summary
Charley Gloserman, policy director at the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, told a legislative committee that harassment, hazing and bullying contribute to chronic absenteeism and urged keeping harassment-related absences excused while strengthening the state's Hazing, Harassment and Bullying Advisory Council.
Charley Gloserman, policy director at the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, told a legislative committee the state should preserve an excused-absence provision for students affected by hazing, harassment and bullying and strengthen the advisory body that oversees related policy.
Gloserman said the Network, a statewide membership organization that supports 14 independent nonprofits providing direct services in every Vermont town, works in schools on prevention and to support youth who experience gender-based harassment and sexual assault. "We support maintaining it as an excused absence as currently in this bill," Gloserman said, adding that pairing excused absences with clearer guidance and better data collection will help schools and policymakers understand and prevent chronic absenteeism tied to harassment.
Why it matters: Committee members heard that delays in implementing safety plans or interventions can leave students feeling unsafe and unable to attend school. Gloserman argued that treating harassment-related absences as excused would avoid penalizing students for circumstances tied to victimization while allowing time for appropriate supports and safety planning.
Gloserman also urged legislative action to strengthen the Hazing, Harassment and Bullying Advisory Council, saying the council—established in 2012 to coordinate statewide prevention and response—has at times been inactive and has struggled to reach quorum. "The council has been inactive for extended periods of time ... and most recently, it has struggled to reach a quorum at its meetings," Gloserman said, and noted the state's model HHB policy has not been updated since 2016. They recommended clearer statutory charge, more representative membership (including people with lived experience and school staff), and routine reporting to the legislature to make the council more useful to schools.
A committee member challenged how the bill treats victims of domestic violence, saying, "I don't see it as an excused absence. Can you cite the line number?" Gloserman offered to provide the specific policy language and citations by email and clarified that the state's model policy covers dating violence, sexual harassment and related conduct, including both peer-to-peer incidents and incidents between adults and children.
Next steps: Gloserman said they would follow up with language and citations for the committee. The committee then moved on to other business.
