My name is John and I'm 36 years old.  As a youth, I was bullied.  Now, as a parent, my oldest son has the same issues.  My oldest was a victim of bullying within the classroom by a fellow student, being told in Kindergarten that he shouldn't use the bathroom because if there was a fire, he'd get locked in there and no-one would find him. Other times made fun of, having his school supplies stolen. As a result, we had behavior, anger, and mental issues, some of which still exist 4 years later.

I am now running for a local school board seat.  With this opportunity, I am able to meet a lot of new people in the community, who reach out with their experiences, some similar. Other times, I am introduced to people whose words touch my heart and focus on areas of improvement within our schools

I met with an amazing woman, Patty Tomaszewski of the Upper Delaware GLBT Center. This is a growing community and deserve the same respect within our school district. Their struggles may be different than mine, but they are struggling nonetheless. I'd like to personally thank her for time, her information about the endeavors of today's GLBT youth, and look forward to working together in the future. Regardless of current policy, one thing that can ALWAYS be done better, is try and protect children from persecution based on gender, sexuality, or religion.