Education Policy, Business and Technology

School bullies could face criminal charges under Ohio bill

Cincinnati.com: COLUMBUS - School bullies who repeatedly torment their victims would face criminal charges under a new proposal from a Democratic lawmaker.

Bullying can lead to violence, retaliation and even suicide, said Sen. Sandra Williams, D-Cleveland, who said she recently intervened when a relative was repeatedly bullied at school. One of the bullies was suspended only after threatening a teacher, she said.

An 8-year-old boy felt so terrorized by bullies that he committed suicide in January, according to a lawsuit his parents filed against Cincinnati Public Schools. A 13-year-old student at Fairfield Middle School fatally shot herself in 2014 after bullies transformed her school into an abusive battleground. A mother worries that bullying on Kings High School's cheerleading squad prompted her daughter's attempted suicide. In these cases, school officials denied bullying was a factor.

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