Seeking to stem an increasing problem, the state Senate voted Wednesday to study the impact of hate speech and bullying on children.
Lawmakers voted 35-0 to create a task force to examine the issue, which they say has become an increasing problem in schools and beyond.
“We heard during the public hearing how this kind of hate speech and anti-caring for other people has effects on children that last well into their adulthood,” said Sen. Ceci Maher, co-chairwoman of the children’s committee. “The purpose of this bill is to look into what are the effects of hate speech on children and then to look beyond that and see what are the programs around the state that are working to ameliorate the effects. And then to stop hate speech. I believe that children being affected by hate speech is not good for children, not good for their families and for society and has a long-term impact.”
The study will focus on whether children hear hate speech and experience bullying chiefly in the classroom, online or in the community.
The task force will be bipartisan; both Democratic and Republican legislative leaders will make the appointments.
Sen. Lisa Seminara, an Avon Republican, said the task force will be more balanced after a successful amendment Wednesday changed the selection of the members, including additional picks by Republican legislators.
Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney, a New Haven Democrat, said the task force is “quite important” at a time of harsh rhetoric and polarization.
“That has become really a problematic epidemic in recent years,” Looney told reporters. “We hope to get some valuable information from that.”
Hate speech, Maher said, has been increasing since 2016.
“People being unkind, saying whatever comes into their mind, not thinking about the other person,” Maher said. “We must look at the reasons why this is happening.”
Senate Bill 327 requires the Connecticut group to study all impacts, including physical, mental and educational.
Kate Dias, the president of the state’s largest teachers’ union, said in written testimony earlier this year that teachers “witness hate speech at local board of education meetings, on playgrounds and Little League fields, and increasingly in school communities.”
She added, “Educators see the impact on their students manifested in stress, anxiety, withdrawal, aggression, self-harm, and unrealized potential.”
The state education department reported that incidents of bullying increased last year by more than 30% from the prior year.
After the task force finishes its work in about 18 months, the group will send the recommendations to the legislature in January 2026, which would then craft legislation to address the issue.
Textured hair
The Senate also voted overwhelmingly to require that barbers and hairdressers are trained in cutting textured hair.
The bill is essentially an extension of the Crown Act, which was passed in 2021 and made Connecticut one of eight states that outlaw discrimination based on hair styles historically associated with race. CROWN stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.
The issue has gained momentum in legislatures around the country, becoming law in California, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Washington and Colorado and being debated in nearly 20 other states nationwide.
Senate majority leader Bob Duff, a Norwalk Democrat, said lawmakers were taking the next step after passing the CROWN Act.
“This is just an extension of that, kind of building upon that legislation,” Duff said.
Sen. Rob Sampson, a conservative Republican from Wolcott, voted against the bill but did not speak on the Senate floor.
Sen. Heather Somers, a Groton Republican, said, “This bill will bring some equity and parity to those who have textured hair.”
Sen. Saud Anwar, a South Windsor Democrat who co-chairs the public health committee, said that many individuals “cannot simply walk into a barbershop or hairdresser and receive the care they need for their hair, as training on treating and caring for textured hair, meaning curly, wavy or coiled hair, is not required in Connecticut. This bill will change that, ensuring all professionals working with hair can provide the best services for their customers without question.”
Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com
Hate speech is crippling CT kids, parents and teachers say. It’s not ‘a one-town problem.’
