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Crimesider

Cyber Bullying Illegal: Mass. Gover norSigns Landm ar k Anti-Bullying Law

Posted by Edecio Martinez

Phoebe Prince (Personal Photo)

BOSTON (CBS/AP) The governor of Massachusetts has signed a bill designed to crack down onschool bullies and require teachers to report bullying to principals.

Gov. Deval Patrick signed the bill Monday. It had been passed after the suicides of two students who

were said to be victims of intense harassment.

PICTURES: Phoebe Prince

Sirdeaner Walker, of Springfield, called the bill a watershed moment. Her 11-year-old son, Carl

Walker-Hoover, hanged himself at home last year. Walker said he had been tormented by classmates.

May 4, 2010 8:17 AM

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Carl Walker-Hoover (CBS)

In January, 15-year-old Phoebe Prince killed herself after allegedly being bullied at South Hadley High

School. Several classmates have pleaded not guilty after being charged with various crimes in

connection with her death.

The new law prohibits bullying on school property and outlaws cyberbullying.

PICTURES: Phoebe Prince

The Department of Education reports that 25 percent of American students say they were bullied at

least once a day. States have tried to address the issue by mandating their school districts adopt

anti-bullying initiatives, CBS News correspondent Bianca Solorzano reported in a story featuring

Sirdeaner Walker last month.

CBS News has identified 10 other students ages 13 to as young as nine years old who were bullied and

committed suicide in the last 12 months. Suicide is so rare among children that young the CDC doesn't

even consistently track the numbers.

Yale professor Young-Shin Kim has done research on what's been termed "bullycide" and has found

that victims of bullying are 5.6 times more at risk of attempting or thinking about suicide.

"I want Carl's legacy to be not that he was 11 years old and he committed suicide," Walker said. "I

want Carl's legacy to be we've enacted laws to protect and help all of our children."

MEDIA

PICTURES: Phoebe Prince

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r Bullying Illegal: Mass. Governor Signs Landmark Anti-Bullying La... http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20004060-50

5/15/2010

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April 8, 2010 - Phoebe Prince Update: 3 More Schoolmates Plead Not Guilty to Bullying Charges

April 6, 2010 - Phoebe Prince Bullying Suicide: 3 Plead Not Guilty

March 30, 2010 - Phoebe Prince Suicide: South Hadley High School Didn't Use Advice to Stop Bullies,

Says Expert

March 29, 2010 - Phoebe Prince Update: Nine Teens Charged in Girl's Suicide

February 5, 2010 - Phoebe Prince "Suicide by Bullying": Teen's Death Angers Town Asking Why

Bullies Roam the Halls

January 27, 2010 - 15-Year-Old Girl's Suicide May Have Been the Result of Cyberbullying

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