[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 124 (Thursday, September 19, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6627-S6629]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CYBER BULLYING
Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about an issue we
don't talk about here, and I am joined by my colleague, the senior
Senator from Florida, Senator Nelson.
We appear on the floor today to talk about an issue which I would
argue is a clear and present danger to young Americans. What is that?
We could probably make a long list of things we are concerned about as
it relates to young people, but we are here today to talk about
bullying and harassment.
According to the Department of Education, nearly one in three
students ages 12 to 18 is affected by bullying and harassment. Another
study estimates that 60,000 students in the United States of America do
not attend school each day because they fear being bullied.
With the advent of text messaging and social media, many children
find they cannot escape the harassment when they go home at night. It
follows them from the moment they wake until the moment they go to
sleep. This problem was brought once again into the national
consciousness in the last couple of days.
I am reading a headline from the Tampa Bay Times, dated September 12,
2013: ``Lakeland Girl Commits Suicide After Being Bullied Online.''
Senator Nelson will be talking about that, as will I.
Here is the other headline from the Washington Post about the same
incident: ``Police: Florida Girl Who Committed Suicide Had Been Bullied
for Months by as Many as 15 Girls.''
I am the father of four daughters and I remember times when my
daughters were going through high school. We have one in high school,
one in college, and two out of college. I remember when our daughter
was going through high school and instant messaging was one way to
communicate, kind of a back and forth between some of the girls in her
high school class. She was about 15 or 16 at the time. It never rose to
the level of any kind of serious harassment. It was something that a
lot of families I am sure have experienced. But my wife and I were
blessed that our daughters never were exposed to what this young girl
was exposed to. I won't show her picture, but I am looking at a picture
of her right now. Her name is Rebecca Ann Sedwick, 12 years old, of
Lakewood, FL, a beautiful girl subjected to the most horrific kind of
harassment and abuse. It is almost unimaginable that a group of human
beings could do this to another person. Unfortunately, it happens all
too often.
Because my colleague from Florida knows the case and the news
articles better than I, I ask him to highlight this. But I think we all
have the same reaction, one of horror, and we are summoned by our
conscience to do something about this. We can't just say, as some say,
Well, every generation has faced some kind of harassment, some kind of
bullying, so it is part of growing up. I have heard this argument. The
argument is without validity, because no generation prior to this
generation has had the technological burden. When I was growing up and
someone was bullied at school, that was bad enough, but it ended when
the schoolday ended. But today that is not possible if you have
determined and vicious people who want to bully another student,
because technology allows that person to be bullied when they leave
school, all throughout the night, and then throughout the next day and
day after day.
I turn with respect to my colleague to talk a little bit more about
this particular case.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Florida.
Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, many States such as mine, Florida, have
strict bullying policies in place. But we need to go beyond that, and
Federal legislation is needed because, as the Secretary of Education
has said, these laws in the States ``lack consistency and enforcement
mechanisms'' across the country.
So you get to the tragic case in Florida of Rebecca Ann Sedwick. It
is a tragic reminder that bullying in the social media is increasing in
both method and mercilessness.
Here is a girl with a single mom. She gets subjected to this bullying
in class, so her mom takes her out of the school and puts her into
another school. This is a 12-year-old little girl. She then is bullied
online.
This occurs for 2 years. This is what she gets: Why are you alive?
You should die. You are ugly. Can you die, please? She gets a constant
dose of this not only at school, but then in the social media. Her mom
tried to take
[[Page S6628]]
away the cell phone that would have these applications. But when she
gets her phone back, she gets a new application, and this cyber
bullying keeps coming through.
We have before us legislation that would get educators and parents
more involved in trying to prevent this kind of bullying.
Unfortunately, Congress is crippled by gridlock and for the last 6
years has been unable to pass any major education bill that contains
this anti-cyber-bullying language. That is why I suggest my colleagues
consider this provision on its own--separate from the broader bill--to
expedite our response to what has become an increasing problem. The
measure would require elementary and secondary schools to better
address bullying and harassment. This calls on schools to report
incidents of bullying to parents and others so we can try to prevent
such conduct in theture.
I have asked the leadership, the leadership of the committee, as has
my colleague, that they consider expediting this passage because of the
national attention to this tragic incident in Florida. I can tell you,
it is all over Florida.
I want to thank Senator Casey for his sponsorship and continuing
leadership on this issue over the last two Congresses, along with
Senator Kirk. He and Senator Kirk have introduced the Safe Schools
Improvement Act, which is included in the broader reauthorization of No
Child Left Behind legislation--if we could then focus on this specific
issue, if the broader bill is not going to pass, and get this out in
the midst of this enormous personal tragedy.
I cannot understand. For 2 years this has happened to a young child.
Her mom is doing everything possible, even pulling her out of one
school and putting her in another. Yet it continues and it drives this
young lady to go into an abandoned cement plant and take her life
because she doesn't think her life is worth living as a result of all
of these taunts.
I thank Senator Casey for his leadership. Let's see if we can move
it.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Heinrich). The Senator from Pennsylvania.
Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I commend Senator Nelson for his leadership
and for bringing this horrific example to the attention of the Senate,
at least on the floor, even though many had seen the news coverage. I
thank him for his leadership in trying to focus on this, even if a
larger education bill does not pass.
I will conclude by saying anyone who doubts this is a problem should
read one or more of these articles about this case, but I am sure we
could cite many others. I will make part of the Record both of these
articles I referred to, the Tampa Bay Times of September 12 article and
the Washington Post story of the next day, September 13, that I
referred to.
I want to read two lines from both stories. From the Tampa Bay story,
the sheriff of Polk County, FL, Sheriff Brady Judd, says about Rebecca
Ann Sedwick, she was ``absolutely terrorized on social media.'' That is
the sheriff, a law enforcement official who made a determination about
what happened to this girl.
Then in the Washington Post story--this is actually the Washington
Post but it is the Associated Press; I should correct that--but right
in the middle of the story by the Associated Press:
The case has illustrated once more the way that youngsters
are using the Internet to torment others.
In one they refer to being ``terrorized,'' in the other they refer to
someone being ``tormented.''
This is a big problem. The legislation I have introduced may not have
prevented this, but for sure we need legislation where schools at a
minimum are required to have a code of conduct which includes bullying
and harassment.
By the way, they do not need to wait for a bill to be passed. There
is no excuse for a school in the United States of America not to have a
code of conduct that specifically prohibits bullying right now. Any
school district that does not have that in place should be ashamed of
themselves and they should get to work and get that done. They don't
need to wait for a bill from Washington.
That is No. 1, prohibit the conduct very specifically. No. 2, the
States need to collect information and make that information available
and report this information to the Department of Education. But one of
the most important features of this, to get it right, is you have to
specifically prohibit bullying that is done by way of electronic
communication.
Whether or not this bill is passed in the near term, there are things
schools can do right now. They have no excuse to wait for a bill. That
is the school's responsibility, and the community's, and the school
district's.
What about other areas of responsibility? Parents have a
responsibility. So parents either of the tormenters, the perpetrators
of this crime, but even parents who do not have children involved on
either end--every parent has a responsibility. I know people do not
like to hear that. They do not like public officials telling parents
what they should do. Frankly, I am not too concerned about that today.
Every parent has a responsibility to tell their children not to engage
in this kind of conduct. If they do not do that, they are not doing
their job. If their child is involved in this kind of bullying, they
need to figure out a way to stop their children from doing that. If
they do not do that, they are not doing their job. Parents who hear
about another child who is being bullied have a responsibility to tell
someone, and the students have a responsibility as well.
We are all responsible here. We cannot say it is just the school
district's problem or just the Federal Government's problem or just the
State's problem or just the parents' problem. We are all responsible
when this happens and we all have a responsibility to do something
about it because this is unacceptable. This is a crime we should never
ever tolerate.
Unfortunately, we keep reading the stories, we keep hearing about
this, and some people are willing to walk away. We need to do more than
just talk about legislation. I have a very good bill. I thank Senator
Kirk for making it a bipartisan priority. But we have to do more than
just talk about legislation and pass bills. That is important, but we
need to take ownership of this issue as parents, as citizens, and as
Americans. We all have a responsibility.
May it be said years from now, decades from now, that because of
horrific and disturbing stories such as the story from Florida where
Rebecca Ann Sedwick was pushed and tormented to the point where,
according to the news article, she committed suicide--let it be said of
us that we took the right steps to substantially reduce the likelihood
that this kind of story ever plays out again.
I ask unanimous consent the articles be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
[From the Washington Post, Sept. 13, 2013]
Police: Florida Girl who Committed Suicide had Been Bullied for Months
by as Many as 15 Girls
(By Associated Press)
Tampa, FL.--For nearly a year, as many as 15 girls ganged
up on 12-year-old Rebecca Ann Sedwick and picked on her,
authorities say, bombarding her with online messages such as
``You should die'' and ``Why don't you go kill yourself.''
Rebecca couldn't take it anymore.
She changed one of her online screen names to ``That Dead
Girl.'' She messaged a boy in North Carolina: ``I'm
jumping.'' And then, on Monday, the Lakeland girl went to an
abandoned concrete plant, climbed a tower and hurled herself
to her death.
Authorities have seized computers and cellphones from some
of the girls as they decide whether to bring charges in what
appeared to be the nation's latest deadly cyberbullying case.
The bullying started over a ``boyfriend issue'' last year
at Crystal Lake Middle School, Sheriff Grady Judd said. But
he gave no details. Police said Rebecca was suspended at one
point for fighting with a girl who used to be her friend.
Rebecca had been ``absolutely terrorized'' by the other
girls, Judd said. He said detectives found some of her
diaries at her home, and she talked of how depressed she was
about the situation.
``Her writings would break your heart,'' he said.
The case has illustrated, once more, the ways in which
youngsters are using the Internet to torment others.
``There is a lot of digital drama. Middle-school kids are
horrible to each other, especially girls,'' said Perry Aftab,
a New Jersey-based lawyer and expert on cyberbullying.
[[Page S6629]]
Last December, Rebecca was hospitalized for three days
after cutting her wrists because of what she said was
bullying, according to the sheriff. Later, after Rebecca
complained that she had been pushed in the hallway and that
another girl wanted to fight her, Rebecca's mother began
home-schooling her in Lakeland, a city of about 100,000
midway between Tampa and Orlando, Judd said.
This fall, Rebecca started at a new school, Lawton Chiles
Middle Academy, and loved it, Judd said. But the bullying
continued online.
``She put on a perfect, happy face. She never told me,''
Rebecca's mother, Tricia Norman, told the Lakeland Ledger.
``I never had a clue. I mean, she told me last year when she
was being bullied, but not this year, and I have no idea
why.''
After Rebecca's suicide, police looked at her computer and
found search queries such as ``what is overweight for a 13-
year-old girl,'' ``how to get blades out of razors,'' and
``how many over-the-counter drugs do you take to die.'' One
of her screensavers also showed Rebecca with her head resting
on a railroad track.
Police said that she had met the North Carolina boy at an
airport and that they had remained friends online. The 12-
year-old boy didn't tell anyone about the ``I'm jumping, I
can't take it anymore'' message he received from her on
Monday morning, shortly before her suicide, authorities said.
Detectives said the other girls' parents have been
cooperative.
Florida has a bullying law, but it leaves punishment to
schools, not police. Legal experts said it is difficult to
bring charges against someone accused of driving a person to
suicide.
``We've had so many suicides that are related to digital
harassment. But we also have free-speech laws in this
country,'' Aftab said.
In a review of news articles, The Associated Press found
about a dozen suicides in the U.S. since October 2010 that
were attributed at least in part to cyberbullying. Aftab said
she believes the real number is at least twice that.
In 2006, 13-year-old Megan Meier hanged herself in Missouri
after she was dumped online by a fictitious teenage boy
created in part by an adult neighbor, Lori Drew, authorities
said. A jury found Drew guilty of three federal misdemeanors,
but a judge threw out the verdicts and acquitted her.
Florida's law, the Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up for All
Students Act, was named after a teenager who killed himself
after being harassed by classmates. The law was amended July
1 to cover cyberbullying.
David Tirella, a Florida attorney who lobbied for the law
and has handled dozens of cyberbullying cases, said law
enforcement can also seek more traditional charges.
``The truth is, even without these school bullying laws,
there's battery, there's stalking,'' he said.
____
[From the Tampa Bay Times, Sept. 12, 2013]
Lakeland Girl Commits Suicide After Being Bullied Online
(The Ledger)
Lakeland.--Investigators have identified at least 15 girls
who were involved in the social media circle of a 12-year-old
Lakeland girl who took her own life after more than a year of
constant bullying.
At a news conference Thursday, Polk County Sheriff Grady
Judd said it appears Rebecca Ann Sedwick jumped to her death
at an old cement business after being beat down with hate
messages online. Her body was found Tuesday.
During their investigation, detectives found multiple
social media applications where Sedwick was cyberbullied with
messages, including ``Go kill yourself,'' and ``Why are you
still alive?''
Sedwick was ``absolutely terrorized on social media,'' Judd
said.
The Sheriff's Office is investigating the cyberbullying,
Judd said.
Judd said parents of all 15 girls have cooperated with
detectives and several cellphones and laptops have been
confiscated.
Before her death, Sedwick had searched questions online
related to suicide, including ``How many over-the-counter
drugs do you take to die?'' and ``How many Advil do you have
to take to die?''
The night before her death, Sedwick gave several warning
signs about her planned suicide that were never reported for
help.
Judd said a 12-year-old boy in North Carolina, whom Sedwick
met through social media, knew of her plan. Sedwick messaged
him only hours before her death saying she was dead and ``I'm
jumping, I can't take it anymore.''
Sedwick also changed her name early Tuesday morning on the
free messaging application, Kik Messenger, to ``That Dead
Girl.''
Judd said detectives are trying to investigate the social
media applications that Sedwick used, including Kik and
Ask.fm, but many of the websites are based in other
countries.
Florida has an antibullying law that covers cyberbullying.
As the investigation continues, Judd said charges, including
cyberstalking, could be filed.
He said it appears that the bullying started sometime in
2012 and was physical at her former school, Crystal Lake
Middle School, and then moved completely online.
``We're trying to sort out a bunch of girl talk that goes
further than girl talk,'' he said.
The investigation is still in its early stages, but Judd
said there were warning signs that nobody noticed. If
detectives can find evidence, the girls could be charged with
felony cyberstalking because Sedwick was under 16 years old.
Mr. NELSON. I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
____________________