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School bullying: What you need to know to stop it, seek accountability

Are you Classroom Ready? What you need to know to help your kids

Ana Gonzalez, Digital Content Producer

Tags: Classroom Ready, Back 2 School, Back To School

HOUSTON – Going back to school means keeping our kids safe and bullying is an issue in which all school districts may have to deal.

There is a law in place, David’s Law, meant to help families struggling with bullying. It’s also meant to increase suicide prevention awareness.

KPRC 2′s Sofia Ojeda shared on Wednesday what parents should know to help stop bullying and hold those responsible accountable, sharing the heartbreaking story of the life and death of Lillian “Lily” Medina.

“She loved Billie Eilish, she was very artistic, she loved to draw and wanted to be a model,” said Lillian’s mom, Sarina Sharp.

Sharp shared pictures and memories of her 14-year-old daughter.

She said Lily was fun, outgoing, had a very unique sense of fashion, and a heart of gold.

“You could tell that she loved who she was inside and out and she always put everyone else’s happiness first,” Sharp said.

But Lily’s demeanor started to change last December. She told KPRC 2 that’s when Lily started dealing with several bullies at her school.

“I think something’s wrong she’s not wanting to go to school, she is acting out at home, she’s crying spontaneously,” Sharp added.

Sharp said she went back and forth with the school about several confrontations, including online social media messages.

She said the school did not help stop the bullying.

“The fact of the matter is what are you guys doing to stop this? Well we can’t discuss that with you either is what they said,” Sharp said.

Sharp said the bullying intensified. Then, Lillian died by suicide.

“I think about that all the time, no one did notice her, no one heard her, she was hurting but no one listened and no one did anything,” Sharp said.

What is David’s Law?

Rania Mankarious, CEO of Crime Stoppers of Houston says every school district across the state of Texas must address school bullying and follow David’s Law with step-by-step actions.

“What David’s Law basically does is, it starts from the beginning and defines it in its essence what bullying is and expands it to cover incidents online,” she said.

The law is named for David Molak, a San Antonio teenager who died at age 16 by suicide after he was relentlessly bullied online.

David’s Law now requires school districts to have a policy on reporting cyberbullying and reporting it to parents. It allows off-campus investigations if the bullying affects the child in school.

And it makes cyberbullying a crime if the victim is under 18 or the intent is to get the victim to commit suicide.

“It’s a really powerful tool because it gives parents civil liability, criminal liabilities, it actually tells the school exactly what they need to do and it’s a law in place in the state of Texas. A big question is do you know about it? We want parents to know that this is a resource and we want schools to use it properly,” said Mankarious.

For any families who feel like David’s Law is not being used by a school district to protect their children, Mankarious added don’t stop pressing for answers and action.

“I would advocate for further discussion, take it up to the district level, take it up to the state level, go as far as one can possibly go to ensure that people just like David’s mother did,” Mankarious said. “She did not stop.”

“It should not have gotten to that point, it really shouldn’t have, it should have been squashed, they should have done a little bit more they should have had the police involved,” Sharp said.

KPRC 2 did reach out to Barbers Hill Independent School District for a statement on Lillian Medina’s case. So far there has been no response.

It’s really important to note, the law allows parents to bring civil and criminal liability against a student, a student’s parents, and the school.

To do this, parents must hire an attorney to start the legal process. Unfortunately, there is no clear punishment right now if schools do not follow the law.

You can contact Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-TIPS or you can go here for help with the legal process or reporting a crime.

You can also go to www.bullying.gov for more information on the specific laws in Texas.

For information on bullying policies in a specific school district check out these resources:

Copyright 2023 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.

About the Author

A graduate of the University of Houston-Downtown, Ana moved to H-Town from sunny southern California in 2015. In 2020, she joined the KPRC 2 digital team as an intern. Ana is a self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur, a catmom of 3, and an aquarium enthusiast. In her spare time, she's an avid video gamer and loves to travel.

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