Elaina LoAlbo spoke from tragic experience before a state task force seeking input on how to improve the state’s anti-bullying law. “We must do better,” said the Mount Holly mother. “We must help our babies. We are failing miserably at protecting them.”

LoAlbo lost her 11-year-old daughter, Felicia, last year after she had endured relentless bullying from other students.

“My daughter attempted suicide by hanging herself in her school bathroom — which later resulted in her passing on February 8th,” LoAlbo said. “We send our children into these schools for an education — not so they can be tormented and ignored.”

LoAlbo was one of more than two dozen to speak before the panel as it reaches out this week for public input to the 12-year-old law, one of the strongest in the country. The task force is charged with recommending improvements to NJ’s Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights Act enacted in 2011.

The panel followed up with a virtual hearing on Thursday, “… so we can hear some more powerful stories of students, staff and families and better ways that we can help,” said chairperson Shannon Cuttle.

The members listened as families, educators and officials told those stories. Many asked for stricter guidelines to hold school districts more accountable for reporting so-called Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying or so-called HIB events. LoAlbo said, “I think having some type of audit system for HIB policies would be really helpful … Sweeping it under the rug just enables them to have better funding.”

Parents like Nicole Nicholas also asked for better enforcement of school reporting guidelines. Her eight-year-old son, Matt, is disabled and a target of bullying, she told the task force. “My son is trying to scratch and self-harm himself,” she said. “I know it’s a direct result of bullying. I’ll never forget the hurt he felt at being ostracized at that school.”

Ultimately, she pulled Matt out of classes in the Willingboro school System after her complaints went unaddressed. “What’s happening is, the investigations weren’t taking place. I’m still waiting for HIBs from March, and they still haven’t been done to this day,” she said.

NJ Spotlight News reached out to Willingboro and Mt. Holly school districts for comment but got no response.

New Jersey has been rocked by recent, high-profile student bullying and suicide cases, including Adriana Kuch in Berkeley and Mallory Grossman in Rockaway. Both of those cases also involved cyberbullying and kids posting on social media.

“We need to be holding social media companies responsible,” said task force member Stuart Green. “Ever since they began, they’ve been profiting like crazy off the suffering of kids. They’ve been completely irresponsible.”