I am just absolutely speechless. I have done nothing but cry. I will let the story speak for itself.
Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover
SPRINGFIELD - Two days after the worst day of her life, when she found her 11-year-old son had committed suicide by hanging himself, Sirdeaner L. Walker said on Wednesday she wants the bullying to stop.
She found Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover hanging by an extension cord on the second floor of their 124 Northampton Ave. home Monday night after he had endured another day of taunting at New Leadership Charter School, where he was a sixth-grader, she said.
"I just want to help some other child. I know there are other kids being picked on, and it's day in and day out," said Walker, 43.
She phoned the school repeatedly since Carl began attending in September but the bullying continued, she said.
Other students made him a target, daily calling him gay, making fun of how he dressed and threatening him, she said.
Carl had attended Alfred M. Glickman Elementary School up to fifth grade, but few of his friends accompanied him to New Leadership Charter School, she said.
Here is a video about the story
The Republican
Eric Mohat
It comes just days after the parents of 17-year-old Eric Mohat spoke out about the lawsuit they’ve filed against their son’s school, after they say bullies pushed him to commit suicide.
"He was called fag," Eric’s mother Jan Mohat said, "he was called gay."
"His nickname was Twiggy and they just made him a target," Eric’s father Bill Mohat said.
(The Republican newspaper in Springfield, MA, tells a similarly horrifying story of Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, a sixth grader whose mother says also endured gay slurs and taunts since coming to his new school in September.)
Jan Mohat says the taunts escalated until a fateful day in her son’s math class in 2007.
"Eric was told by the bully," Mrs. Mohat said, " ‘Eric, why don’t you go home and shoot yourself. It’s not like anybody would care.’ "
Tragically, Eric followed that advice, shooting himself while in his bedroom at home.
365 Gay
Facts about bullying
Prevalence
Almost 30% of youth in the United States (or over 5.7 million) are estimated to be involved in bullying as either a bully, a target of bullying, or both. In a recent national survey of students in grades 6-10, 13% reported bullying others, 11% reported being the target of bullies, and another 6% said that they bullied others and were bullied themselves.
Male vs. Female
Bullying takes on different forms in male and female youth. While both male and female youth say that others bully them by making fun of the way they look or talk, males are more likely to report being hit, slapped, or pushed. Female youth are more likely than males to report being the targets of rumors and sexual comments While male youth target both boys and girls, female youth most often bully other girls, using more subtle and indirect forms of aggression than boys. For example, instead of physically harming others, they are more likely to spread gossip or encourage others to reject or exclude another girl.
Risk Factors for Being Targeted by Bullies
Children and youth who are bullied are typically anxious, insecure, and cautious and suffer from low self-esteem, rarely defending themselves or retaliating when confronted by students who bully them. They are often socially isolated and lack social skills. One study found that the most frequent reason cited by youth for persons being bullied is that they "didn't fit in." Males who are bullied tend to be physically weaker than their peers.
Long-term Impact on Youth
There appears to be a strong relationship between bullying other students and experiencing later legal and criminal problems as an adult. In one study, 60% of those characterized as bullies in grades 6-9 had at least one criminal conviction by age 24. Chronic bullies seem to maintain their behaviors into adulthood, negatively influencing their ability to develop and maintain positive relationships.
National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center
If you are or know someone contemplating sucicide or are victim of bullying please use the information below. Suicide is not the option.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a 24-hour, toll-free suicide prevention service available to anyone in suicidal crisis.
1-800-273-TALK (8255)
The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project operates the only nationwide, around-the-clock crisis and suicide prevention helpline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. If you or a friend are feeling lost or alone call The Trevor Helpline.
1-866-4-U-Trevor
Stop Bullying Now
Bullying Prevention- National Crime Prevention Council
For many years, I was a victim of bullying because I grew up poor, my family was homeless and I had the nerve of being smart. The bullying was so bad that from age 12 through highschool I did everything to avoid school including dropping out. The teachers knew and so did my mother but they all ignored it. Once I realized that I was worthy of love and success I went back and finished school.
Please if you know anyone who is being bullied take him or her seriously. Do not pass it off as its just kids being kids. Listen to your child. Their future may be at stake. It should never have come to this.
A call to action: (h/t Ivey476)
Please contact your representatives and ask them to support H.R. 1966 the
'Megan Meier Cyberbullying Prevention Act'