Jose Menendez, a Texas State Senator, released the first draft of a new law aimed to stop cyberbullies. The law is called “David’s Law” in honor of a high school student who committed suicide after repeated cyberbullying in January. Menendez says he hopes passing this law will ensure the student’s death was not in vain. Law enforcement could not gather enough evidence to punish the bullies in David’s case. The law is meant to support schools and law enforcement in the fight against cyberbullying. It would require schools to cover cyberbullying in their anti-bullying policies and allow them to investigate instances that occur off campus. Law enforcement would be able to gain access to websites that would allow them to identify the bullies. Bullying online would be a misdemeanor crime. Melendez hopes “David’s Law” will become official in 2017.
