The mother of Rebecca Sedwick, the Lakeland, Florida middle-schooler who jumped to her death after a vicious campaign of in-person and online bullying two months ago, made two major announcements earlier today. She plans to file wrongful-death suits against those she feels are responsible for driving her daughter to suicide, and also proposed new state and federal laws against bullying.
"My heart aches constantly," she said. "My body is numb. I can't sleep. My happiness no longer exists. My baby is gone."
Sedwick, 12, of Lakeland, Fla., climbed a silo tower at an abandoned plant and jumped to her death on Sept. 9 after police say she was relentlessly taunted online.
"To be honest, I'm very angry with the individuals I believe are responsible for my daughter's death," Norman said. "I keep waiting for an apology I now know will never come."
She announced that she would be pursuing wrongful death lawsuits in civil court.
In October, attorneys for Norman said they were exploring their legal options and that they hadn't ruled out suing the local school board or the parents of the two girls who had been accused.
"I intend to hold them accountable to the full extent of the law," Norman said.
Norman's attorney Matt Morgan called bullying a "problem of epidemic proportions" that has "reached a tipping point" as they announced three pieces of legal action, including the civil lawsuits.
He first proposed Rebecca's Law, a state law they want that would criminally punish bullies for their conduct. Morgan said the state has a statute that prohibits bullying, but that there are no punishments under the statute.
He also announced that they hope to pass the "first-ever federal anti-bullying law" titled the Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2013.
The act would dictate that if schools receive funding from the state, they must have certain policies and procedures to address bullying and schools must adhere to those.
No word yet on who Norman plans to sue as of yet. However, according to investigators, as many as 15 girls were in on the bullying--meaning they and their parents could potentially be liable. Two of the girls, Guadalupe Shaw and Katelyn Roman, were arrested earlier this month, but charges were dismissed after they agreed to enter counseling. Shaw, the main ringleader of the bullying campaign, also agreed to enter a 90-day diversion program during which she can only go online under parental supervision, and even then just to do things for school.
Florida's anti-bullying law was amended just last year to cover cyberbullying, but critics say it hasn't been implemented fast enough. Hopefully it won't take someone else being hounded to either death or the hospital to do it.