His legislation, introduced last spring, calls for public school bullying policies to specifically address cyberbullying that occurs outside of school. Cyberbullying is using emails, text messages and other cell phone and Internet communications to harass or harm, typically n done repeatedly and anonymously.
School administrators often feel handcuffed in their ability to prevent a student from being bullied if the incident doesn't happen on school grounds, he said.
Schiavoni's bill would say that if a student's ability to learn is impaired by a flurry of harassing text messages received at home the previous night , the school would be able to intervene in some way.
The bill is still a work in progress and Schiavoni sought feedback from a room full of lawyers, educators and public health officials at Cleveland State University's Cleveland-Marshall College of Law Friday afternoon for a symposium on "Bullies in a Wired World."
"We as a state got to make a move on it before it gets worse," Schiavoni said.
Schaivoni said he purposely introduced an incomplete bill to raise awareness while the details are still being worked out. He's hoping that the chairman of the Senate Education Committee will call for additional hearings.
Among the recommendations from symposium participants was that criminal sanctions against bullies be included in the bill. Another wondered if each school should have a trained officer who works as a liaison with police. Good idea, Schiavoni responded, "But then we have a problem. That person costs money."
The issue of cell phone use also came up. Schiavoni said a lot of schools have policies against cell phone use in schools, but that students bring them anyway.
He said after his talk that students should not be allowed to bring their cell phones to school, and that he would consider putting language to that affect in the bill.
The problem, he said, is that many parents want their children to have cell phones while in school. Plus, it would not do anything to address the cyberbullying that goes on after school .
Schiavoni's bill is also known as the "Jessica Logan Act," named for an 18-year-old suburban Cincinnati high school student who hung herself July, 3, 2008, after intense cyberbullying. Jessica's mother, Cynthia Logan, has told her daughter's story on CBS's "48 Hours" and other news shows.
"Our children are dying and no one is taking note in our state," she told the crowd.
Jessica Logan was tormented after a nude photo of her reportedly sent to her boyfriend went viral. That led to severe and constant cyber abuse of Jessica by her peers, which continued after graduation.
The Cyberbullying Research Center, directed by associate professors at Florida Atlantic University and University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, lists eight states with laws that specifically incorporate the term "cyberbullying" and 34 states with laws that address electronic harassment.
Cyberbullies are often encouraged by the ability to hurt somebody anonymously, said Timothy Boehnlein, education director of the local Domestic Violence and Child Advocacy Center. They also tend to be anxious socially with a lack of empathy.
Sometimes they aren't even aware that a simple click of a mouse on a computer can do such harm, he said.
David Frattare, lead investigator for the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which was started in Cuyahoga County, offered up several tips for parents, educators and teenagers to deal with cyberbullying and Interent crime.
Parents should know what online sites their children visit, he said, and if they come across harassing or disturbing messages sent to their children, don't get online and threaten the sender, but somehow secure the evidence so it will be available to authorities.
Educators should thoroughly investigate complaints brought to their attention, he said, and if a student shows an administrator something disturbing on a cellphone, the official shouldn't just delete it and give the cellphone back, but make a record of it.
Teenagers, Frattare said, should keep their personal information safe, only accept online friends they know and never pass along cruel or harmful messages.
And if they do notice someone being a cyberbully, stand up to that person and tell them to stop.