John Halligan

About me:

I live in Underhill, Vermont. I lost my thirteen year old son, Ryan, to suicide on October 7, 2003. At the time of his death, Ryan was a student at a middle school in Essex Junction, VT. It was revealed in much greater detail after Ryan’s death that he was ridiculed and humiliated by peers at school and on-line. In memory of Ryan and in just a few months after Ryan’s death, I spearheaded the Vermont Bully Prevention bill H.629 during the 2004 legislative session which was signed into law as ACT117 on May 18, 2004. He also successfully led the passage of bill H.630 pertaining to suicide prevention education in public schools during the 2006 Vermont legislative session which became ACT 114. I became outspoken about the need for more education and prevention of bullying, cyber bullying and teen suicide throughout the United States and Canada. Ryan's story and the accomplishments in response to this tragedy have been told world-wide by countless print and TV media such as the CBS Morning Show, CNN, Inside Edition, Good Morning America and radio programs including the BBC World Radio and NPR. Primetime with Diane Sawyer devoted an entire episode to cyber bullying and Ryan’s story on September 14, 2006 called “Cruel Intentions.” My wife Kelly and I also appeared in the PBS Frontline special called “Growing Up On-line.” My ninety minutes student assembly presentation begins with a short video collection of home movie clips and still pictures of Ryan as a way of introducing Ryan to them. I then begin to tell the story of Ryan’s life and the factors that led up to his suicide. The audience gains a perspective from inside a family of a child who is a victim of bullying and cyber bullying. They also gain a deeper understanding of the devastating impact of a teen suicide on a family. There are many powerful life lessons imparted, including forgiveness and finding ways to turn a tragedy into change and hope for others. Thirty minutes at the end are set aside so the audience has the opportunity to ask questions. I have been told by administrators after every presentation that they have never witnessed before a speaker who captured and held their students’ attention so completely and had such a lasting impact too. I encourage you to visit a website named for Ryan: http://www.ryanpatrickhalligan.org for more information.

Ryan Halligan Story on Frontline
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2owK4tpMUrk

ABC News: Bullying story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Wcx2qM5C4g

New York has no anti-bullying law - The Saratogian News: Serving the Saratoga Springs, N.Y. reg
http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2009/02/22/news...

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Online bullying on the rise - The Saratogian News: Serving the Saratoga Springs, N.Y. region (S
http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2009/02/22/news...

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