Print edition: 
TOPEKA — The father of a Wichita girl who committed suicide after being repeatedly bullied urged Kansas senators on Tuesday to strengthen the state’s anti-bullying laws.
Rick Morawitz told the Senate Education Committee that a 2007 state law doesn’t go far enough to protect students who are victims of bullying.
His 14-year-old daughter, Rhianna, hanged herself in her bedroom in September after what her father said was sustained harassment at school and online.
“I didn’t expect what I found,” Morawitz said. He also said his daughter was bullied for at least four years, and it became worse when statements about her were posted on the Internet.
“Now if somebody wants to bully your child, it’s 24/7. It doesn’t stop,” said Morawitz, who added that he has gathered more than 7,000 signatures for a petition to support changing the law.
State law currently says each school district must have an anti-bullying policy, but it doesn’t set minimum requirements for what the policy must contain, other than it must call for training of staff and students.
The committee is considering legislation to require more reporting by school districts under a uniform anti-bullying policy and to shorten the timeline for investigations. It also requires districts to report incidents to the State Board of Education.
The new legislation would define bullying as physical contact, verbal and nonverbal expressions and uses of electronic communication devices to harass, intimidate or harm other students or school employees.
Walt Chappell, a Wichita member of the State Board of Education, said the proposal’s goal is to improve the law by requiring districts to do a better job of reporting the scope of bullying and take quick action.
“As elected officials and educators, our first obligation to Kansas parents is to make sure their child is safe,” said Chappell, who added that the state board had not endorsed the bill and he was speaking on his own behalf.
He said the bill would protect students and teachers from being bullied by students. Districts would be encouraged to develop a discipline policy that would use expelling a student from school or a “zero-tolerance” stance as a last resort.
“This bill’s not punitive,” Chappell said.
Suggested discipline measures in the bill include paying a $150 fine, doing community service, writing a report on how to prevent “inappropriate behavior in the future” or transferring to another school.
Sen. Jean Schodorf said she didn’t know if the committee would take action on the proposed legislation or modify the existing law based on some of the suggested changes.
“We take this very serious. We have a lot of reading material,” said Schodorf, R-Wichita.
Opponents said the proposal micromanages how districts respond to bullying and gets away from local governance of discipline.
School district employees are also limited in what bullying they can respond to, said Jacque Feist, principal at Dodge City High School.
“We cannot intervene in off-campus situations that are not school-sanctioned events or if the situation off campus does not create a disruption at school,” Feist said. “This is especially important when we work with parents.”
Critics also said that the proposed changes would require public posting of bullying reports, which could have the unintended effect of making victims or witnesses less likely to come forward.
