The mother of a teenage Florida girl who reportedly committed suicide after months of online and in-person bullying said Monday that she intends to pursue a civil lawsuit in hopes of fighting aggressors.
"I'm going to make sure that other children are not tormented like my daughter was," Tricia Norman, mother of 12-year-old Rebecca Sedwick, told Reuters. "My goal is to use this personal tragedy to make society a safer place to live. I know it is what Rebecca would want."
Norman's lawyer Matt Morgan did not specify whether the suit would go after the two teenagers accused of bullying Sedwick, their parents, or the school board, which she threatened to pursue in late October.
Morgan stated that he was writing a bill titled "Rebecca's Law," which would ensure any people found guilty of bullying receive criminal penalties. He also added that he and Norman were drafting a bid for federal legislation called the "Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2013," which would call on schools to implement anti-bullying policies as requirements for state funding, according to Reuters.
"We intend to use the civil justice system to change behavior while we wait for our legislation to go through the appropriate channels," Morgan said, adding that the bullying problem had become an "epidemic." "Our message to parents is simple and it's clear. Monitor your child's behavior if you believe they are bullying another. You must take the steps necessary to make sure it doesn't happen in the future...you might find yourself on the wrong side of a lawsuit with your personal assets in jeopardy."
Rebecca Sedwick killed herself on Sept. 10 by jumping off of an abandoned concrete factory. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd claimed that 13-year-old Katelyn Roman and another 14-year-old girl who has not been identified because she is a juvenile, were among a group of up to 15 girls who terrorized Sedwick online and in real life.
One of the alleged bullies reportedly posted a status on Facebook that read, "Yes ik [I know] I bullied Rebecca nd she killed herself but IDGAF [I don't give a f***]."
Aggravated stalking charges against the two girls were dropped last week - they will receive counseling through a juvenile diversion program instead, Reuters reported.
