Springfield mom testifies on bullying
By Stephanie Vallejo, Globe correspondent
WASHINGTON -- In the three months since Sirdeaner Walker’s 11-year-old son, Carl Walker-Hoover, committed suicide, the Springfield mother has channeled her grief into action. Walker appeared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to speak out on the dangers of bullying.
But that was just a warm-up.
Walker, once a self-described “ordinary working mom,” has become a persistent advocate for safer schools, and she’ll stop at nothing less than federal legislation. Appearing today before the House subcommittees on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education and Healthy Families and Communities, Walker related Carl’s story once again.
“What could make a child his age despair so much that he would take his own life?” Walker asked during a panel on “Strengthening School Safety Through Prevention of Bullying.” “I will probably never know the answer. What we do know is that Carl was being bullied relentlessly at school.”
Walker had known for months of her son’s situation, and, so did the staff at the New Leadership Charter School in Springfield.
She was unhappy with their course of action, and attributes it to a lack of training. The last week of Carl’s life, he had been assigned to sit with his tormentors at lunch as part of a mediation process. “Obviously there needs to be some professional development and instruction, because that’s not a solution,” she said.
While school officials acknowledge they knew of the bullying, they say they handled the situation appropriately.
Walker supports a bill that would require states that receive grants for safe and drug-free schools to invest in bullying prevention programs. She plans to speak with staff in the offices of Massachusetts Senators John F. Kerry and Edward M. Kennedy while in Washington.
“Everyone at the hearing listened to Carl’s story,” Walker said afterwards. “I really feel like now is the time that we look to the federal government for guidelines and leadership. Our children are suffering every day, in school.”
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Get over it! Mom, needs to step out of the spotlight & refuse to be used as a pawn!
This is very imature behavior on her part and anyone associated with her.
I'm very sorry for her loss. Nothing can be worse than the death of a child.
Wake up, Billybeantown. This child was tormented at school. His mother is trying to make a difference now so that schools wake up and this does not happen to another child. I cannot understand why teachers and administrators refuse to see what every child in middle school sees and what we could see in our classrooms 40 and 50 years ago. The bullies were the teachers' pets who would make nice to the teachers, who couldn't "believe" these kids were being cruel to others.
I hope that Mrs. Walker wakes up a few administrators so that children won't be afraid to go to school.
Billybeantown: I hope your kids (or nieces or nephews) never have to endure physical or verbal assault by anyone--occasionally or constantly--be it another 11 year old, or adult imbeciles like you. If you did, you'd know why Mom is doing what she's doing...
Billybeantown...You are clueless. This mother is trying to save other mothers from the anguish she has gone through. It is a serious issue in schools, and it needs to be addressed.
Mrs. Walker deserves much respect for her courage!
Billybeantown: I have a feeling that you are one of the bullies that needs to be addressed.
It is so great to see a mother taking action and making a difference on a very important issue that our society tends to gloss over. The worst thing a parent could tell their child is to just ignore the bullying because it simply doesn't work and can make things worse. We must empower our children to stand up for themselves. I was the victim of prolonged bullying when I was younger and the effects of that bullying still follows me to this day and I'm glad this woman is giving a voice to so many voiceless children!
Billybeantown you are totally clueless, get a life. Wake up. She is doing what needs to be done. I don't know what it is like to lose a child but, I do know what it is like to have a child bullied. My daughter was bullied in High School because she was very smart and they all made fun of her for it and would not leave her alone and the school did nothing about it. She even had a boy moon her in gym class where all the kids saw it but the boy just got a slap on the wrist. There needs to be more done in these schools on this issue. I commend Mrs. Walker for what she is doing.
The most important word in the article was charter. This young man was subject to the institutional abuse that occurs in most charter schools. You have a group of parents who want a private school experience for their children, on the taxpayer's nickle. Over time, those who are special education students, poor standardized test performers, brown, poor, black, or anything else deemed unworthy by the parent council who run the school are weeded out.
The entry process tell's the story: you will see things like "parents are required to attend three informational meetings before a child can be put on the waiting list."
The bully issue is going on in schools, and there is not enough being done about it. I applaud this mom for trying to call attention to it, and the lack of teacher/administor training in dealing with it. It is a tragedy that her son was bullied, and their solution was to put him with the bullies. At 11 yrs. of age, these bullies know how to "look innocent" while bullying. This just empowers them.
I am sorry for your loss, and as the mother of an 11 yr. old trying to deal with bullies, who get away with bullies. When speaking with the teachers, and 1 of the principles, they feign surprise, and do not seem to take the situation seriously. Perhaps, its a lack of knowledge of what to do or perhaps they are wishing the problem away.
Thank you for all you are doing. Please continue to advocate. Make sure to let others know what we/they can do to help you in this uphill struggle to advocate for safer schools, antibullying training & programs, no place for bullying programs, etc....
Billybeantown You Need to WAKE UP to reality... This is the real world and it happens everyday. Its true teachers and principals don't do anything unless you go ABOVE THEM. I am speaking from experience. My now 11 year old was also bullied for 3 years I had to change schools and he is still bullied and is in therapy because of the bullies. I have to pray and deal with it everyday how this affects him mentally and hope this doesn't happen to my son. So, PLEASE Sirdeaner Walker KEEP GOING and DON'T STOP!
What the charter school did was idiotic -- victims NEVER should be forced to make peace with their tormenters (that's why couples therapy is never recommended when there is spousal abuse). This mother sounds awesome, and I am so glad that she is doing the work that she's doing. It's really going to make a difference. YOU GO MOM!!! And I am so sorry for your loss.
Ms. Walker is probably a single mom who shut the father out of their childs life. The kid never learned to defend himself. Probably wore an earing to boot.
Mrs. Walker is right, my son was tormented. These kids are horrible, they stop at nothing to be cruel to a classmate. It's like a cult, be nasty or you'll be the next child to suffer, and they turn like ferrell animals. One day my son came home saying he was going to find a gun and kill them all. It's was horrible, and the school/teachers did NOTHING, they said my son had emotional issues. 2 years later, he's the biggest kid in middle school, the bullies stay clear. A teacher told me, these kids are like ferrell animals and he appreciates my son, his polite, kind behavior. He won a metal for math, A student. The Walkers will suffer this for a long time, and there are hundreds of children who are in the same circumstances. As a parent you are alone, schools turn it around, it's your child who has the problem. The only thing I can suggest is to talk to your child about suicide and how it's not the solution, and to remind them about the people/family they would leave behind to grieve. You can't take the high road, get in there and fight the biggest fight of your life. Take them all down, it's your child you have to protect them. At one point my son was 10 y.o. and he was bullied by 3 -13y.o boys. The parents of these children laughed and made it a joke, the 13y.o. boys got worse. So, we hired a family friend in high school to have a little discussion with these boys. END OF DISCUSSION.... PROTECT YOUR CHILD, NOBODY ELSE WILL.
Several comments eg billybeantown, and fan66 are mentally ill. What's behind their rantings is defense of homophobia. The boy was murdered by church hatred of gays, which bullies used to torment the boy, even though he wasn't gay.
The problem isn't just bullying. the problem is free speech of the churches. The most homophobic churches are the southern Baptists, who supported slavery and gave the world segregation. And the Catholic monstrosity which gave the world the hatred of the Jews, Jesus own people. A hatred the catholic hitler gave used to give the world wwii. They are murderers for they always need someone to hate to blind the ey and harden the heart. Sick institutions. To hell with them.