Lou Ann Sarachene was already well-versed on David’s Law.

It was passed by the Texas legislature in 2017 to strengthen the penalties for cyberbullying while teaching ways to combat all forms of bullying. 

Sarachene reached out earlier this year to Maurine Molak, the co-founder (along with husband Matt and sons Cliff and Chris) of David’s Legacy Foundation. Sarachene is the former principal of Ruben Hinojosa Elementary School in Sharyland. She was also the school district’s director of counseling. 

“Cyberbullying, bullying overall, is the number-one issue in our schools today,” said Sarachene, who worked in Sharyland to educate students, employees and parents about David’s Law. 

Bullying goes beyond silly disagreements, it can also deeply affect a student’s mental health. It has grown significantly through social media. 

“We need to teach students how to maintain their digital safety and avoid bullying and cyberbullying,” Sarachene said.

She left public education at the end of the 2021-2022 school year to focus on topics she identified during her 35-year public-education career. Sarachene’s career began in maintenance and custodial. She then went on to become a teacher’s assistant, teacher, coach, counselor, principal and district administrator.

Preventing bullying is one of Sarachene’s top priorities. She has seen the impact it can have on a student’s success and mental wellbeing. She talked to Molak about offering training on David’s Law to schools, parent organizations, law enforcement and other community groups in the Region One Education Service Center. The region covered by the service center covers eight South Texas counties, including all public school districts in the Valley. 

Bullying’s Impact Is Real

David Molak lived for basketball.

“Basketball was his identity,” Maurine Molak said of her teenage son.

David suffered an injury before his eighth-grade season, unable to reach his previous level of play by his freshman year. David turned to video games. As he withdrew, other students began tormenting him with hurtful cyber messages about his looks. 

“I felt like I was in the middle of a tornado but moving in slow motion,” Maurine Molak said. 

David moved to another San Antonio school in the fall of his sophomore year. The damaging text messages and social media posts continued and created a quicksand he felt powerless to escape. On Jan. 4, 2016, David, who had recently earned the rank of Eagle Scout, died by suicide. 

In 2017, David’s Legacy Foundation fought tirelessly to get David’s Law passed after spending many hours researching bullying laws and studying the language of laws.

“The most significant impact was giving schools explicit authority to investigate bullying that happens outside of school if it interferes with a student’s educational opportunities or substantially disrupts the orderly operation of a classroom, school, school-sponsored or school-related activity,” Molak said. 

Updates passed in 2019 and 2021 have strengthened the law further. The revised law expands who can report anonymously. It requires public school districts to adopt a bullying policy and creates committees to focus on the issue. The law also mandates that districts report bullying and cyberbullying incidents annually to the state.

Making A Difference

Sarachene has joined the David’s Legacy Foundation team.

She delivers presentations in the Region One area. Sarachene’s presentations are for groups from 25 people to more than 1,000. 

“As educators, we need to know what the law is. Kids and parents need to know, too” Sarachene said. “We need to teach kids how to navigate their lives in a safe way.”

Over the summer, Sarachene presented virtually to an East Texas conference that included lawyers, judges and educators. The meeting covered a broad spectrum of educational issues with legal implications.

“I didn’t realize all of the details of David’s Law,” said Marshall Wood, a partner at Norton & Wood in Texarkana. “Lou had excellent materials. She has a bullying checklist and quick go-to references. Everyone was engaged.”

Sharing David’s Law with audiences of all ages brings Sarachene a renewed sense of purpose.

“When working with students, we focus on being an upstander, not a bystander, standing up for what’s right,” Sarachene said. “Students love the interaction. It really gets adults to think about any child or teen they care about and how aware they are of what is going on with them.’’

Molack reflects on her son’s legacy as more students and adults are educated about David’s Law.

“His legacy is that no child should ever feel helpless or hopeless because of being a target of bullying or cyberbullying” she said.