Doug and Maureen Walgren knew almost immediately after their son’s suicide that they wanted to do something to honor his memory.
They just weren’t sure what form it would or should take.
Maybe a scholarship fund, they thought. Or a charity that reflected his passion for hockey.
But the details surrounding Corey Walgren’s suicide in early 2017 were so startling and so disturbing, his parents felt compelled to do more. Corey — who had never been in trouble or shown any suicidal tendencies — killed himself after being questioned about a disciplinary matter by authorities at school, and his parents believe the tragedy was entirely preventable.
They decided if they wanted to truly honor Corey’s life, they needed to do something that would educate students about their rights, warn parents about potential risks and remind educators about their responsibilities.
To achieve that goal, they recently launched Corey’s Goal, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness of the constitutional rights of minors in school settings and providing education on how disciplinary practices in schools can better support the emotional well-being of students. They plan speaking engagements and a website filled with information on the topic to help spread their message.
“We need to start telling people that this could happen in their schools,” Maureen Walgren said. “We need to get this information in front of them and hopefully influence change.”
Corey, a junior at Naperville North High School, was summoned to administrative offices Jan. 11, 2017, to meet with Dean Stephen Madden and Naperville police Officer Brett Heun, who is assigned to the campus. The two questioned Corey about an allegation that he had a video of a consensual sexual encounter with a female classmate on his phone and that he had played the recording for friends.
Heun and Madden accused Corey of possessing child pornography and threatened him with placement on the state's sex offender registry, according to a lawsuit filed earlier this year by the Walgren family.
The recording the authorities sought ended up being a video file with no discernible images. Police described it as "very dark" and "more of only audio."
Heun and Madden spoke with Corey for 18 minutes, according to police reports, before calling his parents. Once they reached Maureen Walgren, Heun talked to her on a speakerphone with Corey in the room. He told her that her son was being investigated for "child pornography" and could end up being placed on the sex offender registry, Maureen Walgren has said.
The officer then told Maureen Walgren he intended to download items from Corey's phone and needed her consent, according to the reports. Walgren, a nurse, said she would leave work immediately and be at the school within 50 minutes.
After the phone call ended, the officer and the dean walked Corey to an office waiting area and told him to sit down. The two then went to speak with the school’s principal, leaving Corey to wait for his mother.
Left by himself, Corey walked out of the school a few minutes later and headed toward a downtown Naperville parking garage. He climbed to the fifth floor and then ended his life by plummeting 53 feet to the ground.
His mother, who had arrived at the school to find Corey missing, was in her car just a few blocks away searching for Corey when he fell.Despite the allegations of child pornography, police never intended to pursue charges, records show. Rather, police reports indicated authorities wanted to handle the matter in a way that ensured Corey understood the seriousness of his actions and how it affected his classmate The Naperville Police Department and Naperville Unit District 203 have described Corey’s death as a tragedy, but both say that proper procedures were followed that day.“We continue to be incredibly saddened by Corey's death, and our hearts go out to his family, friends and all members of the Naperville community,” District 203 said in a statement. “Nothing is more important to us than the health, safety and security of those students entrusted to our care and we are actively engaging with the community to foster further discussions on how best to achieve this shared priority.”
In May, the Walgrens filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the school district and police, accusing them of causing Corey severe emotional distress and breaking the law by interrogating the teen without first notifying his parents. The case is pending in federal court.
Corey’s parents now have turned their attention toward their new foundation and its newly launched website, coreysgoal.org. The site offers resources and advice for educators, parents and students on dealing with potential disciplinary matters.
It also contains a guidance letter last year issued by the U.S. Department of Education, which instructs administrators to incorporate school resource officers responsibly into the campus and “ensure that they have no role in administering school discipline.”
“We educated ourselves about the issue, so we can help educate others,” Doug Walgren said.
The organization will hold its first major fundraising event Feb. 4, a Super Bowl viewing party in Woodridge. The family chose the event — dubbed Corey’s Super Goal Party — because Corey’s birthday is Feb. 5 and he had always thrown Super Bowl parties to celebrate the day with his friends.
The money raised will help support local hockey programs, including the Naperville North club, which now bestows the Corey Walgren Memorial Trophy to a varsity player who has earned the respect of teammates and coaches "through dedication, hustle and exemplary sportsmanship.” Corey’s Goal will provided scholarship money to the recipient, but it will not be involved in selecting the winner.
The organization is also selling “Corey’s Goal” T-shirts in the hope they will be worn on Jan. 11, the anniversary of Corey’s death. On the back of shirt is advice for teens in the event of a school disciplinary matter: Ask for help, protect yourself, we understand.
The Walgrens hope the shirts will remind students that they are allowed to ask for a parent or adult advocate if they’re being questioned by a school resource officer. And, no matter how serious the circumstance, they want teens to know that their parents will love and support them.
“We want to empower kids,” Maureen Walgren said. “We want them to know that they have rights, so what happened to our family won’t happen to anyone else.”
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