WICHITA, Kansas -- It's been over four months since Rhianna Morawitz took her life after being bullied for several years.Her family and supporters are now turning her tragic story into one of hope to put an end to bullying.
A Youtube video of Rhianna has over 5,000 views. It’s Rhianna playing a guitar and singing Taylor Swifts song “Mean.”
No song was truer than that in her life which was surrounded by bullying.
"Everything from her clothes being torn, spit in the back of her hair, people making fun of her because she was a Mexican or she was 1/4 Mexican,” said Rick Morawitz, Rhianna’s father.
September 21, 2011 Rhianna decided she had enough and tragically took her own life.
Her parents say they never knew what she was facing as a freshman at Northeast Magnet High. They believe it's partially because of the current anti-bullying law.
"There's no set guidelines,” Morawitz said. "All districts can handle it however they want to and it shouldn't be that way."
USD 259 has had a policy in place for many years. It is one that includes lessons and a curriculum, but Morawitz hopes to build on the law to give school districts more accountability.
"The times have changed and the laws need to change to reflect the times,” he said.
Morawitz is pushing for Senate Bill 278, which currently sits in the Senate Education Committee.
The bill would set guidelines as to what a district's policy should include. It would also speed the investigation process up, and districts would be required to report incidents to the state board of education.
Punishment could be anything from restitution to community service.
"If we don't put them on the right path now when will they ever be there,” said Charlotte Ridley, a bill supporter.
Not everyone is on board. Opponents say districts should be able to decide their own policies. Some opponents are concerned the legislation could encourage lawsuits.
"That's what we have to decide is what needs to be done to the current law to strengthen it so that all districts will implement a pretty thorough anti-bully bill,” said State Senator Jean Schodorf, chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee.
Meanwhile, Rhianna's friends hope to remember her by getting behind this, to send a resounding message to a problem they see everyday.
Wichita school officials say they did investigate allegations of bullying in Rhianna's case, but would not comment further because of privacy issues.
The bill will be worked through the committee in about a week where members will shape a final product to vote on.
