Michigan sophomore assisting White House anti-bullying forum

It is called assault and battery, not bullying.

Washington— A Michigan teen who was tormented by classmates is at the White House today to shed light on ways to prevent bullying and to make schools safer.

Ian Forster, a 16 year-old sophomore at Homer High School in Albion, is among 150 students, parents, teachers and advocates invited by President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama for the White House Conference on Bullying Prevention.

Ian has multiple disabilities including cerebral palsy, epilepsy and paralysis on his right side. He has difficulty walking and climbing stairs and became a target for bullying starting in middle school, according to accounts from the Michigan Protection & Advocacy Service."If there's one goal of this conference, it's to dispel the myth that bullying is just a harmless rite of passage or an inevitable part of growing up. It's not," President Obama said. "Bullying can have destructive consequences for our young people. And it's not something we have to accept."

While using a wheelchair following foot surgery, fellow students dumped Ian on the floor and broke his chair. Another time, students pushed Ian to the ground and used a chair to pin him to the ground, according to Michigan Protection & Advocacy Service, which worked on behalf of Ian with school officials to prevent future harassment.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for Ian to share his experiences on the bullying he has received since middle school," Elmer L. Cerano, the group's executive director, said in a statement. "In addition, this will allow Ian to share his thoughts with other students on preventive measures."

A third of middle school and high school students have reported being bullied during the school year, Obama said in his remarks at the summit. Almost 3 million students have said they were pushed, shoved, tripped, even spit on. It's also more likely to affect kids that are seen as different, whether it's because of the color of their skin, the clothes they wear, the disability they may have, or sexual orientation, he said"As parents, this issue really hits home for us," Michelle Obama said. "It breaks our hearts to think that any child feels afraid every day in the classroom, on the playground, or even online."

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