It's good to see action on this. It was a long, brutal, but successful battle to get anti-bullying legislation passed in North Carolina; creating safe spaces to learn in school should not be a political football.
No one knows this more than Sirdeaner Walker, who is in the public eye for the most horrific reasons -- losing a child to suicide after bullying in school was badly handled by school administrators. Eleven-year-old Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover's precious life ended with an electrical cord tied to his neck, his body swinging from a support beam in the stairwell of his home, with Mrs. Walker discovering his lifeless body.
Sirdeaner Walker has taken action in her grief -- she testified before House Subcommittees in favor of a federal Safe Schools Improvement Act. (GLSEN):
Sirdeaner Walker Testifies Before House Subcommittees in Support of Safe Schools Improvement ActCarl, who attended New Leadership Charter School in Springfield, Mass., took his own life April 6 after enduring constant bullying at school, including being called "gay" and "faggot" even though he did not identify as gay.
"Carl liked football and basketball and playing video games with his little brother," Walker testified. "He loved the Lord and he loved his family. What could make a child his age despair so much that he would take his own life? That question haunts me to this day, and I will probably never know the answer.
"School bullying is a national crisis, and we need a national solution to deal with it. That is why I am here today. Teachers, administrators and other school personnel need additional support and clear guidance about how to ensure that all kids feel safe in school. Congress can make sure they have that guidance and support by making anti-bullying policies mandatory in all of our nation's schools."
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