After attaining both a majority of the vote from the Texas House of Representatives and a unanimous vote from the Texas Senate, Senate Bill 179 will be sent to Austin to be be signed by Gov. Greg Abbott.
The bill, also known as David’s Law, sets guidelines for preventing and dealing with cyberbullying. It is named after David Molak, a 16-year-old San Antonio high schooler who took his own life following episodes of cyberbullying.
The bill requires all state funded public schools to install a way for students to report cyberbullying anonymously, and for school officials to report incidents to the victim’s parents within 24 hours, which is then followed up by a report by the victim’s parents.
The bill will also classify cyberbullying as a criminal offense. It will begin as a class B misdemeanor, which constitutes up to six months in jail, and can rise as high as a class A misdemeanor, which can see one charged with up to a year in jail.