Fight to End Bullying Goes National
Sixty-five percent of middle and high school students said they had been bullied in school in the past year, according to From Teasing to Torment: School Climate in America, a 2005 report from the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network and Harris Interactive. Homophobic bullying is a serious problem in some schools, and nothing could have driven that point home more clearly than the tragic death of 11-year-old Carl Walker-Hoover. Last April, Carl hanged himself after being persistently bullied at school. He put up with daily harassment, including being called “gay” and “fag.”
This week Carl’s mother, Sirdeaner Walker, testified in front of the House subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education and Healthy Families and Communities. She was there to support the Safe Schools Improvement Act.
“School bullying is a national crisis, and we need a national solution to deal with it,” stated Ms. Walker during her testimony. Some schools have anti-bullying policies, but the Safe Schools Improvement Act would require all schools that receive Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act funding to have a comprehensive anti-bullying policy that addresses bullying based on race, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.
Check out the video below of Ms. Walker’s testimony:
Do you think schools need anti-bullying policies to keep students safe? Tell us what you think.
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