smally is on that mission. we ve kept this alive through the summer. reporter: it s why he organizes vigils at the oklahoma state house. he thinks bullying ought to be a crime. and it s why he tries to convince other kids to stand up for the bullied. save their fragile self esteem. save their lives. reporter: it s his promise to a boy who loved his family. hunting, and the st. louis cardinals. we haven t done ty s last load of laundry, because it still smells like him. we haven t washed his sheets, because i can go in there and lay on his bed and still smell my boy. you want to learn what bullying and suicide is all about, you talk to the people directly who it affects the most. reporter: as you might
do it. i think that it s taken us a long time to develop a bullying problem and it s going to take us some time to solve it. reporter: it s why there are no federal guidelines school must follow regarding bullying. they re on their own. in smalley s state of oklahoma, each school district deals with bullying in different ways. it s something else that infewer it s a smalley. a lot of schools around the country, their answer to bullying is they let the victim leave a little bit early. they let them go home early to get a head start on the bully. and you re singling this child out. this child has been picked on, you re singling him out now. reporter: real solutions will come too late for ty, but kirk smalley is on that mission. we kept this alive through the summer. reporter: it s why he organizes vigils at the oklahoma state house. he thinks bullying ought to be a crime. and it s why he tries to convince other kids to stand up for the bullied. save their fragile self
esteem. save their lives. reporter: it s his promise to a boy who loved his family. hunting and the st. louis cardinals. we haven t done ty s last load of laundry because it still smells like him. we haven t washed his sheets, because i can go in there and lay on his bed and still smell my boy. you want to learn what bullying and suicide is all about, you talk to the people directly who it affects the most. 41 states now have anti bullying laws on the books. some are effective, some not. that s why it s so important we get those federal guidelines in place. and mr. smalley, if you are listening, kevin jennings, the deputy secretary of education, says thank you for sharing your story, because stories like ty smalley s, stories like that, are going to get something done quicker, because, tony, as we
rested in my hands. i was responsible for my son s safety. i don t hold reporter: that s a harsh thing to say about yourself. i mean i m miss dad. reporter: i know, but he s out in the world. it s my job to protect him. no matter what. no matter where he was, it was my job to protect him. reporter: but how do you protect your child from a bully? assistant deputy education secretary kevin jennings was appointed by president obama to keep kids safe at school. ty s story could easily have been his own. were you bullied in had school? like many kids i was bullied very severely in junior high and high school, and the first day of tenth grade, i actually refused to go back to school, because i wasn t going to go back to a place where i got bullied every day. jennings organized the
get a head start on the bully. you re singling this child out. you re singling him out now. reporter: real solutions will come too late for ty, but kirk sma sma smalley is on that mission. it s why he organizes vigils at the oklahoma state house. he thinks bullying ought to be a crime. save the fragile self-esteem, save their lives. reporter: it s his promise to a boy who loved his family, hunting, and the st. louis cardinals. we haven t done ty s last load of laundry because it still smells like him. we haven t washed his sheets because i can go in there and lay on his bed and still smell my boy. and you want to learn what bullying and suicide s all about, you talk to the people directly who it affects the most.