Protecting Teens From Dating Violence

Her daughter Lindsay, 23, had an abusive boyfriend who got out of control. The three-year relationship began with the boyfriend calling incessantly to keep tabs on her daughter and escalated from there. In 2005, when Lindsay tried to break up with him, he killed her and was later sentenced to life in prison for murder.

One in 10 high school girls reports she was abused by a boyfriend, according to the Department of Justice.

(Getty/ABC News)

"Mothers are supposed to protect their children and there are some times you just can't and that's a heavy burden to live with," said Burke, who is also a middle school health teacher in South Kingstown.

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Burke has turned her grief into action, pushing legislators in Rhode Island to require every school district in the state to teach middle and high school students about dating violence.

Through the Lindsay Ann Burke Memorial Fund, a nonprofit organization created in honor of her daughter, Burke has trained teachers in schools throughout Rhode Island on how to educate students on dating violence.

Some critics argue that teachers shouldn't teach about relationships, but that it's a job best left to the parents. People like Burke, however, who support the new laws, say these lessons will not only help teenage girls but might save their lives before abuse spirals out of control unnoticed.