School bullying

Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran and Rep. Byron Donalds have unveiled their plan to challenge violence and abuse in schools.

Lawyers for a 13-year-old girl accused of bullying a classmate have filed notice that they intend to sue Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd and his office.

WTSP reports the family accuses the Sheriff's Office of defamation and invasion of privacy, saying Judd had no probable cause to arrest the girl last year.

The mother of a Lakeland girl who committed suicide after complaining about being bullied said Monday that she will push lawmakers to pass new anti-bullying legislation because current laws don't do enough to protect children.

Tricia Norman and her attorney also said during a news conference that she plans to file wrongful death lawsuits against those she believes are responsible for her daughter's death, though she refused to identify those people specifically.

(Updated 11/21 at 10:17 a.m.)

Charges have been dropped against two teenage girls whom a sheriff had accused of bullying a Florida classmate who later committed suicide, the girls' attorneys said Wednesday.

St. Petersburg police arrested a 15-year-old girl on Thursday for cyberbullying after she allegedly sent hundreds of threatening text messages to three other 15-year-old girls who are students at her high school.

Officials said the girl was charged with three counts of aggravated stalking. The Associated Press is not naming her because she is a minor.

Detectives said the girl sent several hundred threatening texts to three victims over the course of about 8 days. Many of the messages were death threats, police said, and many contained expletives.

The mother of a 12-year-old Florida girl who jumped to her death after being bullied for months is exploring her legal options, her attorneys said Thursday.

Attorneys for Rebecca Sedwick's mother have taken no legal action yet, but they haven't ruled out suing Polk County schools or the parents of two middle school girls who were arrested in connection with Sedwick's death, they said.

"It's a difficult process," said David Henry, lead attorney for Tricia Norman. "There are a number of other children who also participated."

After 12-year-old Rebecca Sedwick committed suicide last month, one of her tormenters continued to make comments about her online, even bragging about the bullying, a sheriff said Tuesday.

The especially callous remark hastened the arrest of a 14-year-old girl and a 12-year-old girl who were primarily responsible for bullying Rebecca, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. They were charged with stalking and released to their parents.