Gov. Butch Otter is trying to do something the Idaho Legislature wouldn’t do earlier this year—crack down on cyber bullying.

The governor has filmed a public service spot in which he says 18,000 Idaho students are victims of threatening text and/or online messages each year, proving to him that Idaho has a cyber-bullying problem.

“We can help stop this practice with education about the harmful effects of bullying, and how to create a zero tolerance for harassment in and out of school,” Otter said in the spot released on YouTube Tuesday.

October is cyber bullying awareness month and it’s good to see our governor putting his influence behind one of the most serious problems currently facing youths in America.

In recent years there have been several high-profile cases of cyber bullying in the U.S. that have resulted in the deaths of young people, usually via suicide.

The Associated Press reported Wednesday: “A federal lawsuit was recently settled over gay and lesbian students being bullied in a Minnesota school district, and a Rutgers University student was found guilty of spying on and broadcasting a sexual encounter of his roommate, who later committed suicide.”

Cyber bullying is a very real problem and ignoring it will only result in tragedy.

The Idaho Legislature tried to address the issue earlier this year but failed to pass the bill.

The legislation would have required Idaho teachers and school administrators “to identify and crack down on students who harass and threaten classmates, including via electronic means,” the AP reported.

The Senate passed the bill by a large margin but the proposal died when Rep. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, declined to even schedule a hearing on it in the House Education Committee.

The AP says “some representatives opposed the bill on grounds that it could add a financial burden to already cash-strapped school districts.”

Otter has not weighed in on the failed bill but he is weighing in now on the problem of cyber bullying.

And he’s not the only state official to take such a stand.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna has filmed a similar spot in which he warns young people of the dangers of the Internet, including cyber bullying.

“Too often, this same technology is used to harass and bully,” Luna said in his announcement.

Soon the Idaho Legislature will be back in session.

Let’s hope that our lawmakers in Boise can add to the words of Otter and Luna by ensuring that cyber bullies in Idaho are identified and punished for the pain they cause. If it requires some funding, the state should provide it.

The longer the Legislature waits to address this problem the greater the chance of tragedy will be.