Tina and David Long were featured in the 2012 documentary, “Bully.” The stories of five bullied children are told, two of them posthumously because the boys involved committed suicide. David Long opens the film telling about Tyler.
“They said he was a geek and a fag and they didn’t want to play with him,” his father says.
The other fatality, Ty Smalley, died at age 11.
Since their son’s suicide, the Longs were interviewed by many media outlets and were featured guests on the “Ellen” show with openly gay host Ellen Degeneres.
According to the Daily Report:
As part of the agreement, the Longs will forego their right to petition the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case. The agreement does not preclude the family from continuing to speak out about their son’s death and the cost that school bullying exacts, Daniel said.
In a news release, the Longs said that the court rulings in favor of the school district and their decision not to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case have been “both heartbreaking and devastating to our family.”
“Our resolve has never been about money, merely justice for our son,” they added. “With a $30,000 cost against us we had to consider what is best for our children. Our motivation has always been to inspire positive change, advocate and find solutions so that no other child will have to endure the constant, severe and pervasive bullying that Tyler endured. We resolved this cost dispute so we can move forward. … The end of our litigation, however, does not mean that we will end our efforts to stop bullying in our schools.”
Photo: Tina and David Long (via ‘Bully’)