Nearly a year after a surge of bullying-related teen suicides grabbed the nation’s attention, a wave of lawsuits have been filed by parents, seeking protection of their children and other students from verbal and physical abuse at the hands of their peers.

Parents in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, New Jersey, Minnesota, and even Ontario, Canada are taking the fight against bullying to court. While the National School Boards Association does not have any studies on the trend, Francisco Negron told USA Today “anecdotal evidence shows an obvious increase.”

According to the Crimes Against Children Research Center (CCRC), approximately 30 percent of American youth report moderate or frequent involvement in bullying in some capacity. Victims of bullying experience higher rates of loneliness, depression, school avoidance and suicidal ideation than their peers, the center reports.

David Finkelhor, CCRC director, says the lawsuits may be a result of increased awareness, among other factors.

Last year, the suicide of Rutgers University freshman Tyson Clementi, a closeted homosexual, revealed just how common youth suicides are among picked-on teenagers and children. Since Clementi’s death, a number of states have adopted or strengthen their anti-bullying statutes.

However Kathy Fong, associate director of youth empowerment group Community Matters, explains that parents of bullied children are resorting to legal action because they are frustrated that schools have failed to implement safeguards to minimize or prevent bullying.

For example, Texas parents Jon Timothy and Tami Carmichael filed a $20 million federal lawsuit against school officials in the Joshua Independent School District after their son 13-year-old Jon Carmichael hanged himself.

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