It's time to strengthen cyberbullying laws

Over the past few years, New York state lawmakers have targeted bullying in schools with legislation designed to allow students to feel safe in a place where they should feel safe.

Last year, then Gov. David Paterson signed into law the Dignity for All Students Act, to protect students from harassment and bullying. Under the law, schools must teach students about diversity and sensitivity, and a staff member at every school must be trained to respond to harassment and bullying incidents. Additionally, incidents must be reported to the state Education Department annually. The new law will take effect next July 1.

But it doesn’t address a different kind of bullying, which typically takes place outside school and away from the eyes of adults: cyberbullying. Whether it’s a student sending a threatening text message, posting a hurtful comment on Facebook or teasing a classmate in an instant message, these acts can have — and have had — serious consequences.

Take the case of Ryan Halligan, a 13-year-old boy from Vermont who killed himself eight years ago this week, after classmates played a joke on him online, pretending that a popular girl in school liked him. Halligan had been bullied for many years.

This story might sound familiar to your children. Halligan’s father, John, has visited numerous schools on Long Island and across the country, telling Ryan’s story and sending a powerful message about the terrible effects of bullying and cyberbullying. John Halligan has successfully fought for some of the strongest anti-bullying legislation in the country in Vermont.

New York has a chance to do the same. State Sen. Jeffrey Klein, a Democrat who represents parts of the Bronx and Westchester, is proposing legislation that focuses on cyberbullying. His proposed law is a response to several incidents, including a recent one in which a 14-year-old from the Buffalo area committed suicide after being victimized by cyberbullying.