In the near future, I plan on introducing “Jonny’s Law”, named after 15 year old Jonny Tomasello, who, as a result of bullying and the failure of it being addressed, tragically took his own life.
This legislation will address the ever-growing problem of bullying and the resulting effects it can have on our children. The legislation will not only address enforcement by school officials and the consequences for not proactively addressing bullying incidents, but it will also tackle education on the subject, steps for prevention and intervention, and along with guidelines which include student, teacher, administrative and parental involvement, possibly allow our kids to be kids again.
Some information on bullying: - One out of every five (20.2%) students report being bullied. (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2019 )
- A higher percentage of male than of female students report being physically bullied (6% vs. 4%), whereas a higher percentage of female than of male students reported being the subjects of rumors (18% vs. 9%) and being excluded from activities on purpose (7% vs. 4%). (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2019)
- 41% of students who reported being bullied at school indicated that they think the bullying would happen again. (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2019 )
- Of those students who reported being bullied, 13% were made fun of, called names, or insulted; 13% were the subject of rumors; 5% were pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on; and 5% were excluded from activities on purpose. (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2019)
- A slightly higher portion of female than of male students report being bullied at school (24% vs. 17%). (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2019)
- Bullied students reported that bullying occurred in the following places: the hallway or stairwell at school (43%), inside the classroom (42%), in the cafeteria (27%), outside on school grounds (22%), online or by text (15%), in the bathroom or locker room (12%), and on the school bus (8%). (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2019)
- 46% of bullied students report notifying an adult at school about the incident. (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2019)
- The reasons for being bullied reported most often by students include physical appearance, race/ethnicity, gender, disability, religion, sexual orientation. (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2019)
- Approximately 1 in 5 children and youth in the U.S. experience a serious mental health concern associated with trauma, social isolation, and bullying, yet only 20% of them receive the help they need.
- Students who experienced bullying or cyberbullying are nearly two times more likely to attempt suicide. (Hinduja & Patchin, 2018)
- Suicide ideation and attempts among adolescents have nearly doubled since 2008 (Plemmons et al., 2018)
Please join me in co-sponsoring this vital piece of Legislation.
If you have any questions regarding “Jonny’s Law”, please contact Don Beishl in my office at: dbeishl@pasen.gov
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