TW: bullying, suicide
A legislative bill was introduced in the Virginia General Assembly that aims to address bullying and cyberbullying in elementary and secondary schools in the state.
Autumn’s Law was introduced by Republican Sen. William Stanley Jr., and if enacted, provides specific procedures for schools and school boards related to bullying; it also makes it punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor.
The bill is named after Autumn Brooke Bushman, 10, who died by suicide in March 2025. In the months leading up to her death, she had allegedly been bullied by classmates.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, parents and students demanded the Roanoke County School Board make changes to its bullying policies to put an end to bullying in the school system once and for all.
“We need to go home and think about the fact there’s a 10-year-old girl in the ground, and something should have been done,” one student told the school board.
A petition demanding change in the wake of Autumn’s death gathered nearly 4,000 signatures.
ICYMI
In a recent subcommittee meeting, her mom, Summer, asked for something to be done to address bullying, and through tears, shared a goodbye letter her daughter left behind.
“Hi guys. Love and miss you all, but I couldn’t anymore. I want ya’ll to look for me in the sunsets … Jesus will save me, and I love you all. I want you all to live on in my memories. Love, Autumn.”
Her mom held up a framed photo of Autumn, who she described as a child who always had a smile on her face and was a “daddy’s girl.”
She said her daughter wrote three notes before her death, apologizing and pointing to bullying as the reason for ending her life.
Sen. Stanley told the subcommittee that “at some point, we have to treat bullying in a different way” so that children like Autumn haven’t died in vain.
The bill introduced by Stanley requires:
- the administrator of each elementary or secondary school and each institution of higher education, or his designee, to, upon receiving satisfactory proof of an incident of aggravated bullying by a student enrolled in such school or institution, address such incidents, discipline the student guilty thereof, and report such incidents to local law enforcement.
- reports to be made to the division superintendent and the principal or his designee on all incidents involving an act of aggravated bullying or aggravated cyberbullying occurring on a school bus, on school property or at a school-sponsored activity
- each principal to immediately report to the local law-enforcement agency any incident involving an an act of aggravated bullying or aggravated cyberbullying occurring on a school bus, on school property or at a school-sponsored activity
- the Board of Education to include in its guidelines and model policies for codes of student conduct developed pursuant to applicable law standards for school board policies on aggravated bullying
The bill also requires school boards in Virginia to include in its code of student conduct policies and procedures preventing aggravated bullying and aggravated cyberbullying including:
- citation to the provision of the bill that makes committing an act of aggravated bullying a Class 1 misdemeanor
- detailed procedures for reporting any incident of aggravated bullying or aggravated bullying in accordance with the bill
- clear, escalating, and appropriate disciplinary procedures for addressing incidents of aggravated bullying
- information and resources relating to any civil rights of action or remedies available to victims of an act of aggravated bullying or cyberbullying
Victims of bullying have been found to have a three to five times higher rate of suicidal ideation and attempts, according to a study of middle school students.
Subcommittee hearing: Autumn’s Law
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Crystal Graham
