Oklahoma Lawmaker To Propose Anti-Bullying Measure

Adrianna Iwasinski, News 9

OKLAHOMA CITY – State Rep. Anastasia Pittman, D-Oklahoma City, announced Wednesday she's going to propose anti-bullying legislation next session and name it after an Oklahoma boy who committed suicide.

Ty Field was an 11-year-old boy from Perkins who took his own life after enduring months of bullying. Ty's stepfather, Kirk Smalley, was one of several people who attended a public hearing on bullying at the state capitol Wednesday morning.

Representatives from the Oklahoma State Board of Education, YWCA and several public and Indian schools across the state also attended the hearing.

"The scars of bullying last forever," said Gayle Jones, the Director of Safe Schools with the Oklahoma Department of Education. "No child deserves to be bullied and no child should be afraid to go to school."

The agency offered several free resources on its website that parents can access about the problem and what's being done to stop it.

Learn more about bully prevention

More:

• Thousands Around the World 'Stand for the Silent' Against Bullying
• Family Blames Bullying for Son's Suicide
• Oklahoma Students Pledging to 'Stand for the Silent'