Photo from flickr: Eddie~S

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and staff of the Department of Education sent a message to 15,000 school districts and 5,000 college and universities Tuesday: Bullying is not acceptable and schools may have an obligation to intervene under federal law.

“We think in this country, bullying should not exist,” said Duncan in a national conference call. “A school must address bullying no matter the basis of the bullying or harassment.”

The press briefing to detail anofficial guidance from the department comes on the heels of a series of high profile suicides across the nation attributed to bullying. The letter specifically details how some bullying and harassment could rise to the level of violating federal civil rights laws — and a failure to act could open that district to civil rights actions in courts.

“Are we putting people on notice?” asked Russlynn Ali, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights in the Department of Education. “I think, yes.”

Specifically, Ali’s “Dear Colleague” letter opens the door to address anti-gay bullying as a form of discrimination on the basis of sex.

“Anti-gay bullying is often based on the person not conforming to gender stereotypes,” said Duncan. “Discrimination based on those gender stereotypes is prohibited sex discrimination.”

Just last week, 17-year-old Cassandra Morris dropped out of the Ogemaw Heights