INDIANAPOLIS — Hundreds of Hoosier students filled the Indiana Statehouse on Monday, determined to make their voices heard on issues affecting young people, with bullying at the forefront for many of them.
The youth-led advocacy event brought together students from across the state. On colorful Post-it notes, they wrote messages and concerns ranging from school safety to mental health, but bullying was a recurring theme.
“When a place that’s meant to be safe becomes a place that starts to break you, you start to believe the problem is you,” said Jakiah Brown, a high school sophomore, speaking to a room full of peers.
Brown shared that when she was 11 years old, she spent eight days in the hospital due to mental health struggles she said were caused by relentless bullying, and that those responsible faced no consequences. She said she tried to report it, but was met with not much action.
“I reached out multiple times, and I didn’t get the answer I wanted or needed, and we see that often in schools where a kid will reach out to a teacher or a counselor, and it will be heard but not taken care of in the right way,” Brown said.
Brown now works with the Parent Coalition for Child Safety & Wellness, and its Speak Our Truth Project, which urges lawmakers to strengthen protections for bullied students. The organization says it has been advocating at the state level for about four years.
“Even in approaching this the right way in the democratic process, we are not getting anywhere,” said Rachel Van Alstine, a parent and coalition member.
This year, the group supported two bills:
- House Bill 1093, which would have redefined bullying in state code to make it more reportable
- House Bill 1107, which would have required each school district to create a local bullying prevention committee and allowed families to take unresolved cases to the state
Neither bill received a hearing.
“What we are finding is because there is no recourse beyond a district, there is a lot of internal retaliation, there is a lot of internal silencing that happens within school districts, both to the child and parent trying to speak their truth,” Van Alstine said.
Advocates say that’s why student testimony like Brown’s is so crucial.
“Every story matters, every voice deserves to be heard,” Brown said.
According to the Indiana Youth Institute, which tracks child welfare in the state, youth suicides rose from 143 to 152 in 2023. The latest numbers are still being compiled.
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