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MARQUETTE -- Commissioners from the Michigan Department of Civil Rights have been conducting forums around the state to learn more about bullying, and Tuesday they were at NMU to learn about bullying in the Upper Peninsula.

Students, school administrators, and area professionals spoke on the topic to the commission, and although their insights were diverse, they did have one message in common:  bullying is a lifelong issue.

You may know Gale LaJoye from his classic Christmas play, Snowflake, but what you may not know is that he's no stranger to bullying.

"I remember being the new kid on the block or the new kid at school, and I had to deal with a lot of issues that way--being bullied and picked on," says LaJoye.

In Snowflake, LaJoye takes on the issue of homelessness by telling the story of a social outcast.  The play works to send the message of acceptance to its audiences.  And now, the performer is working on a new production, this time addressing the issue of bullying.

"I had one a few years ago and I called it 'Castles in the Sky,' and it was about a child's dream, and when that child loses that dream, their star falls from the heaven.  So I'm trying to resurrect that, centering around the issue of bullying and how a child's dream can be lost," LaJoye says.

LaJoye was at the NMU forum Tuesday, conducting research for his project.  But he wasn't the only one taking notes.  Michigan Civil Rights Commissioners listened to a series of testimonials about bullying, which they're hoping will help them pass a bill which regulates this serious problem.

"This has gone so far as to have some people commit suicide, especially people that are on the Internet; a number of those people have committed suicide.  It's much too serious just to forget about," says Michigan Civil Rights Director Dan Krichbaum.

If passed, the new bill will require Michigan school districts to have an action plan to prevent bullying.

To send a written testimonial to the commission, e-mail millerj31@Michigan.gov.