When Trevor Jones (pictured above) committed suicide due to being bullied, it sent shockwaves through the small town of Collinsville, OK. This was not the first suicide that had occurred there; however, it was the most recent to be a direct result of senseless bullying. It has obviously impacted many people there, as a Facebook page has been created in an effort to combat bullying in the school system there, as well as videos like the one posted by a student who knew him (https://youtu.be/KWK-qkpWA_E)

In other parts of the US, deaths as a result of bullying have unfortunately become commonplace. Meanwhile, those who bully these innocent young people because of their looks, disabilities, sexual preference, etc. are seemingly not punished. Also, school officials and the parents of the bullies either stand idly by and do nothing or, even worse, encourage this behavior.

Bullying has been occurring for as long as people have been on this planet; I was bullied myself as a child, but I was fortunate enough to have a support system in place and was not afraid to talk about it to others.

Unfortunately, this is 2015 and not 1985. Social media, as well as the changing dynamic of how children are raised, have drastically changed the ways people are bullied, as well as the outcome. Yes, counseling and other assistance is available to help those who are bullied; however, counseling can only go so far as the bullying escalates.

When you also consider that less than half of all bullying incidents are reported to an adult for fear of backlash, embarrassment, or lack of action taken, it means that we, the people, need to take action in hopes to quell this kind of thing from happening ever again in our home state.

While there are laws setup to help control bullying, we feel they are not enough. Therefore, we the undersigned propose the Trevor Jones Anti-Bullying Act be drafted and passed by the Oklahoma State Legislature that states the following:

• If a minor commits suicide as a result of being bullied and the bullies are found out, they are to be charged as adults. The minimum charge would be involuntary manslaughter, with the likelihood of the charge becoming as severe as first degree murder.
• The parent(s) of the bully(ies) would be subject to investigation and charged accordingly if it is discovered that they encouraged the behavior either directly or indirectly.
• If it is found that the issue was reported to school officials and appropriate actions were not taken in advance in an attempt to cease the bullying, they, too may be subject to prosecution.

It is time that a significant message was sent to the bullies of the world that it is not OK to push someone to the point of killing themselves. A message also needs to be sent that encouraging the behavior or not taking action is just as bad as the bullying itself. Threatening significant jail time and/or capital punishment should not be the solution, but we far that is what it is going to take to teach them a lesson.