Police are investigating whether school bullies can be charged with harassment after freshman Jamey Rodemeyer of Williamsville North High School in Amherst, N.Y committed suicide. Jamey was found outside of his home on September 18th. Jamey complained for years that he was bullied n school and online because of his sexual orientation. Police Chief John C. Askey stated “We’re going to look into whether he was the victim of any crimes leading up to his suicide,” Williamsville School Superintendent Scott G. Martzloff, agreed to be cooperative. If there are students who can be criminally prosecuted in Jamey’s case, they could face minimum harassment violations, and using the computer in the crime makes it aggravated harassment. If the case is involving juveniles the case would most likely be held in Erie County Family Court and a “hate crime” would not be charged. Several civilians have contacted police after Jamey’s death with information leading toward the fact that Jamey was the victim of harassment. A specific group (known to police and school officials) have been specifically targeting Jamey for a long period of time. Askey revealed that although police are looking into what may have occurred recently, they believe that one to three students might have been bothering Jamey since middle school. Jamey’s mother admitted that she knew of the bullying and that the situation escalated about a year ago because of anonymous posts on Jamey’s Formspring blog stating he would be better off dead. Jamey’s friends reported the abuse to the guidance counselors at school, and defended him on Formspring. One of the strategies the U.S. Department of Education recommends in fighting cyber bullying is to contact law enforcement if there is evidence of online harassment. The Police Department regularly deals with student bullying cases, cyber bullying, and each case is investigated. Askey found that his department was never contacted by anyone regarding Jamey. Jamey regretted creating his Formspring account because of the hate he received. Eventually Jamey stopped using Formspring and things seemed to be getting better. Jamey’s suicide has prompted a bill against the trend of “bullycides”. Under the bill, a person convicted of bullying someone who ultimately commits suicide could be charged with second-degree manslaughter and go to jail for up to 15 years. Included, is cyber bullying someone under the age of 21 which would be considered a third-degree stalking, punishable by up to a year behind bars. Jamey’s story also influenced Lady Gaga, who spoke with President Obama on Sept. 25 about ending cyber bullying. State Assembly is expected to come up with a companion bill, and the Senate is expected to pass its bill next year. Technology has been used to create a petition available to sign on Facebook.
Copyright (c) 2011, the Buffalo News and amNewYork, with additional reporting by eSchool Media. Distributed by MCT Information Services.
I can barely write about this story it upsets me so much. This was not an isolated incident; Jamey has been bullied by the same group of people for years. I cannot fathom why something was not done to help him. Where was anyone in that school that cared for Jamey and noticed that he was having a hard time? Where were his teachers? The problem was evident, and clear. Jamey’s friends told school officials who have did nothing. I believe several people should be held accountable for this boys death, (school officials, and the bullies) and I consider it murder. The issue of bullying in schools has been grossly neglected. The worst part is that this is not the first time this has happened. How many kids are going to have to die before people stop being so selfish and listen, and notice someone who is crying out for help? As teachers we have to be aware of everything around us. You have no idea what someone is going through on a day to day basis. Everything is not fine just because they were able to make it to your class on time.
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