BOISE — Idaho Republican Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter signed anti-bullying legislation into law Monday.

    House Bill 246 includes provisions for intervention by educators in Idaho schools in cases when students are being bullied and for making students aware of anti-bullying policies.

    “It’s something that we’ve needed for quite some time, and now we have the tools,” Otter said at a press conference. “We have the tools for professional development, for reporting and for establishing the rules of the schoolyard.”

   A co-sponsor of HB246, Rep. Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, said she “could not be happier to have this bill become law.” Rubel attributed her involvement with the legislation to what she was told by former Pocatello resident Julie Zicha, whose son, Ryan Joel Zicha, was bullied at Highland High School after transferring in from Spokane, Washington.

    After the bullying in Pocatello, Ryan Zicha committed suicide in January 2011 at age 19.  Julie Zicha testified at the Idaho Legislature that her son was openly gay, which unexpectedly became an issue with other high school students after the Zichas moved to Pocatello and had been physically assaulted by some other students at Highland.

    “Her son was bullied absolutely mercilessly, and the school did nothing to help, and her son ended up taking his own life. He was driven to such despair by the degree of bullying,” Rubel said. “I heard her story, and I was very deeply moved and I thought, ‘What’s the point of being on the (House) Education Committee and overseeing the schools if you can’t do something to try to help?’ So, I made a promise to her that day that I would do everything in my power as a committee member in this Legislature to try to bring some legislation that would make sure this didn’t happen again.”

    HB246 passed the House 51-18 on March 23 and cleared the Senate 24-10 on March 30.

    Rubel said that in Idaho, “1 in 10 students are dropping out or changing schools because of bullying.”

    Sen. Cherie Buckner-Webb, D-Boise, lauded the signing of the anti-bullying legislation by Otter.

    “Idaho’s going to save our children,” said Buckner-Webb, the Idaho Senate Assistant Minority Leader.

    Buckner-Webb added: “We’ve got new laws in Idaho, and there’s a new sheriff in town, and it’s no more bullying. All right?”