On Easter Sunday 2012, Grace McComas committed suicide. The year prior, G
race was drugged and raped by her neighbor’s son. Grace was the target of cyberbullying attacks from her peers and her rapist.
A Twitter post by her rapist read, “i hatehatehatehatehatehatehate you. Next time my name rolls off your tongue, choke on it.. and DIE.”
The cyberbullying and harassment that Grace encountered partly led to her depression and anxiety. She eventually couldn’t take anymore of the pain and the harassment and took her life.
The incident was reported to school officials but they did not take any actions towards helping Grace. Today, her parents continue to fight against cyberbullying in the Maryland school districts. Their efforts have helped passed Grace’s Law, which:
“Prohibits a person from using an interactive computer service to maliciously engage in a specified course of conduct that inflicts serious emotional distress on a minor or places a minor in reasonable fear of death or serious bodily injury under specified circumstances; and defining terms.”
This story is heartbreaking especially since Grace’s death could have been prevented if the school officials would have taken the right actions. It is sad to hear that another child has died because of cyberbullying.
cyberbullyingdmad16.wordpress.com 