Danny's Law

     There are tragedies we have suffered as human beings. So that on the anniversaries of these events we try to spread the words "we will not forget". Those sentiments should not just be reserved for the big catastrophic happenings but should include a single death of an average person, even worse a death by suicide.

Why should one death matter?

    It matters when like a disease it causes hundreds or thousands of needless deaths due to a societal problem that is repeated every day at schools across our country and probably across the world. It matters because we as parents ourselves have empathy for those who have lost their child, the brothers, sisters, family members, neighbors, and friends.

Danny's Story

   Danny Fitzpatrick was a normal 13 yr.old boy who loved sports, had a mother, father, and 3 sisters who loved him. He had dogs, went to school, and did all the things 13 yr.olds boys should experience except for one thing. He was bullied. He felt belittled, humiliated, and hated. He asked for help from teachers and principle Rosemarie McGoldrick at Holy Angels Catholic Academy. Danny wrote a letter detailing his feelings and the events that led up to his finally hanging himself in the attic of his families home. He was found by one of his sisters.

 Victim Blaming, is that the School Policy?

     In his letter, Danny said that only one of the teachers took any action but whatever she did it didn't last. The school did later talk to the parents of the kids who bullied him and suspended them, but we all know to kids like that it was a vacation, a reward.
     The other action the school took was to question Danny about his home life.They wanted to know if the parents drank if they had food and clothes in the house. When they didn't get the answers they liked they called the ACS Administration of Children's Services to investigate the family. Because of course Danny's problems couldn't have been caused by the bullying it had to be problems in the home. 
     The parents underwent drug testing which turned up nothing and the principal said the bullying was just a phase and would pass but it would be Danny who passed. He passed on the rest of his life, his future because he felt hopeless and couldn't live with the hurt anymore.

Bullying Legislation

     Forty-nine states have passed bullying legislation and it varies with each state. Danny lived in New York his family and state Rep. Daniel Donovan, Jr are trying to pass "Danny's Law". In New York, the existing legislation only applies to public schools. The family is hoping to change it to include private and religious schools too and to include consequences such as the parents of bullies being liable to pay for hospital and/or funeral expenses and the bullies to be held accountable.




The First Lady's Initiative

     Melania Trump's Initiative is anti-bullying and cyberbullying which is a good and worthy cause. The problem is that it's hard for her to be taken seriously when she rarely speaks and has a husband who bullies on a regular basis. Some may say that he is just defending himself but when he name calls, makes a cartoon with a CNN reporter getting run over by a train, makes a gif with Clinton being hit in the head by a golf ball, and advocates violence at some of his rallies against protesters, that is more offense than defense. It's hard to tell others to stop bullying when it's happening in your own home and family. Why do we bring up Trump? It's because of "Danny's Law".

Danny's Law

     I am not a journalist nor am I a lawyer and trying to untangle bureaucracy is not my forte. However, in researching Danny's Law, I found that this bill is in the first stage of the legislative process. It was introduced into Congress on Oct. 24, 2017. It will typically be considered by committee next which is the committee of Education and the Workforce before it is possibly sent on to the House or Senate as a whole to be eventually signed into law by the President. Unless I am mistaken what will be passed is an Anti-Bullying Roundtable who will research bullying and then give a final report to the President. Sources are predicting this bill has a less than 20% chance of passing.

How You Can Help

     Like and follow this Facebook page. Danny's mom Maureen has founded an anti-bullying non-profit 501(c)3 foundation. To donate go to Danny's Angel Network Nurturing Youth, Inc.

      TheNational Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255
Sources for this article were Congress.gov , New York Post , NCSL , Daily News New York.
#endthesilence #Dannyslaw #bullying