Laurie Halverson
Laurie participated with the Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) system when parents were invited along with staff to a full day seminar on bullying with nationally known speakers such as Kevin Jennings, Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug Free Schools. Parents and PTA leaders learned much from this seminar (Note: Safe and Drug Free Schools federal funding ended as of July 1, 2010 and MCPS has abolished this program.) Laurie was at the Maryland PTA Convention in November, 2010, where PTA leaders from across the state listened to "Enough is Enough" speaker about cyber-safety and bullying. Last year, Montgomery Public Schools adopted a bully reporting policy, aligned with the state legislation, and Laurie co-chaired the committee that wrote the policy. Note: school systems in the state that have anti-bullying programs have higher numbers of incidents reported, but fewer serious incidents reported. All school systems in the state have anti-bullying POLICIES (as mandated by the legislation), but only four have documented anti-bullying PROGRAMS as of March 2010. Together, Susan and Laurie are advocating for the development of an anti-bullying program in Montgomery County Public Schools. Laurie represented MCCPTA and advocated for inclusion of bullying incidents on the MCPS Safety-At-A-Glance report. Laurie has been involved in PTA for 10 years. She is married and has two boys, ages 11 and 14.
About Parents Involved in Education
Our nation’s economic competitiveness and the path to the American Dream depend on providing every child with an education that will enable them to succeed in a global economy that is predicated on knowledge and innovation. President Obama is committed to providing every child access to a complete and competitive education, from cradle through career.
The responsibility to do what is necessary to give every child a chance to succeed is shared by schools and family. As President Obama said in his State of the Union address, “It's family that first instills the love of learning in a child. Only parents can make sure the TV is turned off and homework gets done.” The partnership between parents, teachers, and schools will help us win the race to educate our kids.
Learn more about the PTA and how to get involved in education in your community.
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