Youve heard the tragic stories -- teenagers harassed with insults and hate mail on the Internet, ending up committing suicide.
State lawmakers are moving to crack down on cyberbullying, the kind of bullying that can happen without a direct physical confrontation, but can be even more toxic emotionally.
Members of the Florida House unanimously passed HB 609 last week,legislation requiring school districts to adopt policies against cyberbullying. Current law prohibits bullying in schools, but does not cover online bullying.
In fact, 16 other states' anti-bullying laws already address cyberbullying.
Rep. Reggie Fullwood, D-Jacksonville, sponsored the bill that expands bullying policies to include computer-related bullying that happens outside of school if it substantially interferes with students' school activities or disrupts their education.
Rep. Dwayne Taylor, D-Daytona Beach, says Florida needs more legislation like the cyberbullying bill to ensure that our children are not being bullied in any shape, form or fashion. So thank you, Representative Fullwood.
A Senate version of the bill has only passed through one committee and has a way to go.
Dave Heller is a Tallahassee freelance reporter/videographer. Nancy Smith, nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or (850) 727-0859, contritubed to this story.
