Cyberbullying gets Punished

Kudos for Nevada: A new Nevada law -- which takes effect today -- makes it a crime for students through 12th grade to bully someone through electronic means - including by cellphone texts or email. Most of the enforcement of the law will occur through school discipline, although it gives police and prosecutors in Nevada a new tool to address the problem with stronger penalties beyond school punishment. The law's sponsors, state Senator Valerie Wiener and Assemblywoman Bonnie Parnell, introduced this legislation in part to prevent tragedies like the one of Brandon Myers, a fifth grader in Missouri who committed suicide after being the victim of continual bullying and cyberbullying. Nevada's new law underscores that bullying is NOT "just kids being kids" - and recognizes that even when bullying occurs remotely (e.g., by email or texting), it can have tragic consequences. Nevada lawmakers should be commended for taking a proactive approach to prevent bullying and violence among students.