It may sound like insignificant changes but Ohio actually took a big step forward for the children in the state when the governor approved a new anti-bullying law.

The law, named the Jessica Logan Act for the Cincinnati teenager who hanged herself in 2008 after relentless bullying at her public school, was signed by Gov. John Kasich.

Although it wasn’t perfect, the legislation was a positive addition because it finally took electronic forms of communication such as email into consideration and better outlined the rules and guidelines in regards to the schools’ responsibilities.

According to the Associated Press reports, the law also says “policies must be extended to school buses, that training must be available for staff and that parents are to receive an annual bullying policy.”

Although Lawrence County has been fortunate enough not to have had any bullying-related tragedies in recent years, anyone who believes that bullying doesn’t happen here needs to pull their head from the sand.

Bullying occurs everywhere and crosses all demographics and socio-economic lines.

The next step is for schools — and the legal system — to ensure appropriate penalties are in place for breaking these laws.

In a perfect world, our schools are supposed to be places where we can send our children with an assurance of safety. This law is another step toward achieving that ideal.