New Anti-Bullying Law Tough to Enforce

Posted by Maria Mangicaro
Bullying Prevention Advocate
mangicaro829@aol.com

Click here to read Nevada Senate Bill:  Prohibits transmitting or distributing certain images of bullying involving a child under certain circumstances. (BDR 15-70)

8 News NOW
 

Posted: Oct 16, 2013 6:36 PM EDTUpdated: Oct 16, 2013 6:36 PM EDT

By Patranya Bhoolsuwan, Reporter – bio | email

By Mark Zamora, Photojournalist – email

LAS VEGAS — Another investigation is underway after another video has surfaced on social media showing Clark County students fighting on a high school campus.

Clark County School District officials have confirmed the fight happened at Chaparral High School. The video also appears to be staged with two high school girls beating each other up in front of an audience. This video and others bring up the question of whether a new law on Nevada’s books is being used.

School police told 8 News NOW that SB414 may sound good on paper, but in reality, the law is very difficult to enforce. The law prohibits the transmitting or distributing of violent images involving a child. It targets cyber-bullying.

This most recent video shows two girls fighting in the high school’s bathroom as friends cheer them on. It’s obvious the two students knew they were being caught on camera. They went on to take off their sweaters and geared up for a fight just before another student pushed one girl towards the other.

“I think they just do it to be Facebook famous or something,” said Alex Andrade, a junior at Chaparral High School.

He says he has seen other kids at school get suspended and even expelled for fighting, but when it comes to bad behavior on social media, he says a lot of kids get away with it.

“So many people are like videotaping it and they all post it and nobody knows who did it first,” Andrade said.

According to CCSD Police captain Ken Young, that’s the problem his officers have been facing. He says, despite the new Nevada law that could charge minors with a misdemeanor, it’s hard to track the original culprit.

Nevada State Senator Kelvin Atkinson, who helped get the new law on the books, said parents should start paying attention to what their children are doing because they could be held responsible for their online postings.

“Parents need to understand they have some accountability. If parents … know their child is engaged in this type of behavior they themselves can be penalized for it,” Atkinson said.

In regards to the latest video, CCSD officials will only say they are dealing with the issue and would not say whether any student has been suspended or expelled.

“I think they should be sent somewhere else, not here, because we have enough problems,” Andrade said.

He says students should be focused on their studies and grades, not other distractions.

The new law has been in effect since Oct. 1, 2013. According to the juvenile court, no one has been cited under the law.

From the blog of Trial Attorneys at Eglet Wall Christiansen: HOW EFFECTIVE IS NEVADA’S NEW CYBER-BULLYING LAW?

On behalf of Robert Eglet of Eglet Wall Christiansen posted inCriminal Defense on Monday, October 21, 2013.

Just about every young person in Las Vegas has accounts on websites like Facebook and Instagram. These can be great ways of maintaining a social network and communicating with others, but they can also put teens in some situations that older generations never were confronted with. This can make it very difficult to draw lines between what is lawful behavior online, and what is not.

State and federal laws have been passed that attempt to establish these boundaries and identify dangerous or unlawful information that is being shared by juveniles online. The goal is to keep young people safe, but some of the laws may be misguided or too difficult to enforce accurately. One such law that has come under fire lately in Nevada is SB 414. Many teens and parents may want to be aware of this complex law, as it could end up putting a young person’s future in jeopardy.

Click here to read more at www.christiansenlaw.com

Nevada: Anti-Bullying Law Takes Effect

Posted by Maria Mangicaro
Bullying Prevention Advocate
mangicaro829@aol.com

Anti-Bullying Law Takes Effect Tuesday

Posted: Oct 01, 2013 1:15 AM EDTUpdated: Oct 01, 2013 7:05 AM EDT

By Joe Bartels, Reporter – email

By Chris Benka, Photojournalist – email

LAS VEGAS — Starting Tuesday, it will be a crime to bully a child through social media or any other electronic device in Nevada.

It’s one of many laws taking effect October 1. The law targets kids who knowingly engage and bully other kids by sharing pictures or videos for the public to see. Violators could face stiff penalties.

A shocking video went viral in a matter of hours last year. The video depicted a Las Vegas boy punching another boy who was reportedly a special needs student. The video was shot on an iPad and went viral on the Internet.

State Senator Kelvin Atkinson was one of the sponsors of the new law that would make videos like this illegal.

“It has taken bullying, in my opinion, to a whole other level, a whole other level,” Atkinson said. “Kids are cruel, mean, and they don’t think of the consequences. They don’t think of the emotions of other kids with what they are inflicting upon them.”

The law states kids who post pictures or videos of other kids being bullied could face expulsion from school or even be put in juvenile detention if they do it more than once.

Ellie Smith is an outspoken advocate against bullying. She has used her talents as a singer to launch an awareness program about bullying, because she was a victim herself.

“I think that this is a punishment people deserve if they want to go around sharing these videos and committing these crimes,” Smith said.

Smith said there isn’t a total solution that will stop bullying altogether, but this new law is a start. She added tormentors don’t realize the damage they cause, especially through the protection of the Internet and a computer screen.

“I think it will definitely be a deterrent, however, bullying is as old as time, and it’s always been there, and it probably always will be,” Smith said.

This new law only applies to bullying between kids under 18.

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