Dr. Kevorkian

Today I had a meeting with Dr. Kevorkian. No Joke. However, its not the one you're thinking of. But first, some background...

Broward County has been known for some pretty news-worthy stories over the years- the disappearance of Adam Walsh, son of John Walsh, the host of America's Most Wanted, and the "hanging chad" in the 2000 elections, just to name a few. However, now you can add to the list something of great importance Something that is leading in the right direction!

Broward County Public Schools passed the state's first anti-bullying policy. And there is hope that the state's other 66 districts will follow. The teachers are being educated in detection and prevention of this terrible epidemic that is plaguing schools. We have been charged with the responsibility of detecting, protecting, and reporting any instance of bullying.

Dr. Melanie Kevorkian is the author of "Preventing Bullying: Helping Kids Form Positive Relationships" and "Six Secrets for Parents to Help Their Kids Achieve in School." She is the current Executive Director of Academic Review at Nova Southeastern University, serves as a Board Member of the International Bullying Prevention Association, and is a columnist for The Miami Herald (Broward).

Today she visited the staff at my school to speak about ways we can detect bullying, which exists in such different forms than it did years ago. It is no longer a fist fight on school property, or pushing on the playground. Now it requires great awareness about what is happening behind the teacher's back. It can be in the form of class surveys and sneaky notes that are deeply painful. For example, a paper with signatures of peers who wouldn't care if Johnny died and never returned to school. Harsh! Cyber bullying is huge, too, and detectable only if parents are involved in their children's online profiles. Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube have all been abused by bullies who are picking on their peers. This stuff is scary, and is most definitely real! We must be aware of the intangibles, too. Its our job to detect when there exists an imbalance of power, and a student who is too frightened to stand up for his/herself.

The talk was very informative. I appreciated the investment that Dr. Kevorkian has made in educating the educators so that we can protect our students!