New Leadership Charter School


NEW LEADERSHIP CHARTER SCHOOL TO MOVE INTO VACANT HOLY NAME SCHOOLBUILDING IN SPRINGFIELD; July 08, 2009; The Republican Newsroom (Springfield, MA) 
SPRINGFIELD - In its fourth move in 11 years, the New Leadership Charter School will relocate to the now vacant Holy Name School on Alderman Street…

The announcement came as Sirdeaner L. Walker, whose 11-year old son Carl committed suicide in April, was scheduled to testify about bullying before a subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. Walker said her son, a student at New Leadership school, had complained of persistent bullying by other students…

The school has been under scrutiny by city and state educational officials since Carl's suicide. His mother said she appealed to New Leadership officials several times to stop the bullying, but little was done.

An draft report of an internal investigation conducted by New Leadership was completed in May, but has not been released and school officials provided no new details Wednesday.
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SPRINGFIELD - Police said they intend to seek a criminal complaint against an instructional aide at the New Leadership Charter School who telephoned in a gun scare Tuesday morning…

Police intend to file a district court complaint against Stewart for disturbing a public assembly or a school while in session, Delaney said.

Stewart, an aide at the school for two months, was removed from the classroom Tuesday morning and fired on the spot for acting erratically, Delaney said.

The school reported he used vulgar language while trying to lead students in a discussion of sex, he said.

After he left school grounds Stewart called the school with the gun scare, and volunteered to come back to aid in the search, Delaney said.

Concerned for his well-being, police asked Westfield police to check on Stewart at his home. Officers found him acting erratically and had him brought to Noble Hospital for evaluation, he said…
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MOTHER OF SPRINGFIELD BOY WHO COMMITTED SUICIDE TO CALL FOR PROBE OF BULLYING; April 9, 2009; The Republican Newsroom (Springfield, MA)
SPRINGFIELD - The mother who said her 11-year-old son committed suicide by hanging himself because of bullying he experienced at New Leadership Charter School said Thursday she will ask the state to investigate the school.

"I will do that. That's something that I will do. A lot of parents don't know the avenues open to them. A lot of parents don't know where to turn," said Sirdeaner L. Walker, in an interview at her 124 Northampton Ave. home.

She said she found her son, Carl J. Walker-Hoover, a sixth-grader at the school, hanging by an extension cord upstairs at their home Monday night.

He suffered taunts and threats from other students who made fun of him, insulted the way he dressed and called him gay since he began attending in September, she said.

Walker said though she contacted the school repeatedly, the bullying persisted…

Meanwhile, The Republican and other media were prevented from attending a vigil at the 180 Ashland Ave. school Thursday night that was held in relation to Carl's death, even though the school is publicly funded…

Walker said that the school failed to contact her about the vigil, but that even if it had, it was doubtful she would have attended.

"Someone did call me, but it wasn't the school. I still haven't heard from the school. I don't know if I would have gone. It's a very emotional thing. I have to process everything," Walker said…

…City police are not investigating the reported bullying that apparently led to Carl's suicide, said Sgt. John M. Delaney, aide to Police Commissioner Willaim J. Fitchet.

Unlike the city's public schools, charter schools here do not have regularly assigned student support officers. The Police Department provides such officers to charter schools as needed, Delaney said…

Carl's death has prompted renewed interest in school bullying, including a flurry of e-mails and phone calls to The Republican.

School Superintendent Alan J. Ingram said on Thursday cases of bullying must be addressed quickly and fairly, but noted charter schools are autonomous and have their own policies…

According to the New Leadership Charter School Web site, "The mission of New leadership Charter School is to develop young people in the sixth through twelfth grades morally, mentally and physically, and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, honor, and loyalty." …

…Daboul [chairman of the school's board of directors] said the New Leadership Charter School has a board of eight or nine members, but he was unable to recall the full list...

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