“Bullies & Mean Girls”: Amanda Simmons Selected to Present to the Orange County Bar Association Mommy Esq. Committee

In August 2025, the Orange County Bar Association’s Mommy Esq. Committee selected Amanda Simmons, founder of Ambika Law, to present her program, “Bullies & Mean Girls: Protecting Your Child Online and at School.” The session was designed for attorneys, parents, and advocates seeking a deeper understanding of the legal landscape surrounding bullying in both traditional school settings and online environments. 

Amanda’s presentation explored how bullying has evolved in a digital world where harmful conduct can now occur across multiple platforms, often anonymously and without adult awareness. As reflected in the presentation materials, bullying no longer appears solely as in-person aggression but includes cyberbullying, identity-based harassment, disability-based discrimination, and increasingly complex forms of image-based sexual abuse, including deepfake technology and dissemination of explicit images. These behaviors carry profound emotional and educational consequences, and they implicate significant legal protections for students. 

A major focus of the presentation was helping parents and practitioners distinguish between informal school misconduct and conduct that legally qualifies as bullying or discriminatory harassment. Drawing from California Education Code § 48900(r) and related statutory definitions, Amanda’s materials explained how the law defines bullying, what counts as an “electronic act,” and the unique harms associated with cyber sexual bullying. These definitions matter because they determine the obligations schools must meet and the remedies available to families when districts fail to intervene appropriately. 

The presentation also provided an in-depth explanation of the federal civil rights framework that governs bullying when connected to protected characteristics. Through clear examples and case law summaries, Amanda’s materials showed how conduct tied to sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity may trigger protections under Title IX, Title VI, Section 504, the ADA, and—in cases involving educational harm—the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. These statutory schemes impose affirmative duties on schools once they know or should know that harassment is occurring, and Amanda’s presentation walked attendees through the standards used by OCR and by federal courts when evaluating whether a school met its obligation to act. 

Turning to California law, the presentation outlined the extensive statutory protections available to students in the state, including Seth’s Law, California’s bullying and harassment provisions, and requirements governing school safety plans. The materials further explored the increasingly important question of when schools may regulate off-campus speech, drawing from the Tinker standard and later cases such as J.C. v. Beverly Hills Unified School District, Wynar, and Mahanoy. These cases underscore that even speech originating off campus may become subject to school intervention when it foreseeably disrupts the school environment or infringes upon other students’ rights. 

A central component of Amanda’s presentation was the guidance provided to families navigating the aftermath of bullying. The materials explained how to document incidents, when to utilize the Uniform Complaint Procedures, and when families may instead or additionally seek remedies through OCR investigations, Office of Administrative Hearings due process proceedings, or civil litigation. By offering step-by-step explanations of timelines, investigative duties, and appeal rights, the presentation equipped participants with practical tools for advocating effectively on a child’s behalf. 

Importantly, the presentation was grounded in research on the emotional, psychological, and academic impacts of bullying. Drawing from data summarized in the slides, Amanda highlighted the associations between bullying and increased rates of depression, anxiety, absenteeism, and long-term trauma responses. These impacts—detailed in the research and statistics portion of the deck—demonstrate why timely and responsive school action is essential and why legal advocacy can be a critical lifeline for families navigating school harm. 

The program materials also emphasized Ambika Law’s trauma-informed mission. As the introductory section of the presentation explains, Amanda’s practice centers on providing compassionate, strategic advocacy for children and families, with a commitment to holding school districts accountable when they fail to ensure a safe and equitable educational environment. 

Although the presentation itself ultimately did not take place, Amanda’s selection to deliver this program and the detailed materials prepared for it reflect her continuing leadership in the areas of school law, bullying prevention, and children’s civil rights. The “Bullies & Mean Girls” program remains a representative example of her work to educate families and practitioners on how to recognize harmful conduct, understand the legal protections available, and take meaningful action to safeguard children at school and online.

About Ambika Law: 

At Ambika Law, PC, we deliver comprehensive legal services for families with special needs children, focusing on educational law, children’s rights and institutional child abuse. Guided by our core values of trauma-informed, compassionate, responsive, and resourceful lawyering, we create a supportive and proactive legal environment, ensuring our clients feel heard, understood, and effectively represented.

About Amanda: 

Amanda Simmons is a lived experience advocate and founder of Ambika Law, an educational law firm focused on special education and school injury claims.  She is also a 2024-2025 American Bar Association Fellow focusing on institutional child abuse and has presented at conference including the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, the National Association of Women Judges, National Association of Counsel for Children and frequently publishes on legal topics related to the troubled teen industry.  She is passionate about protecting youth and devotes her practice to ensuring the safety of our most vulnerable children.