I’ve had a more-than-normal appreciation for Secretary of Labor Arne Duncan since he appeared onstage at a Neko Case concert in DC last week to encourage audience members to become teachers. Some local DC blogs thought his appearance was strange, but I appreciated his willingness to do some outside the box thinking.

And on Friday, Secretary Duncan did some out of the box thinking I appreciated again, when I noted the Day of Silence in a statement on student safety and bullying.

Yesterday, many Americans paused to remember the senseless death of 32 students at Virginia Tech in 2007. Today, many Americans will honor the Day of Silence called for on behalf of victims of harassment and bullying around issues of sexual orientation, including a recent suicide who would have turned 12 today. On Monday, we will memorialize the Columbine High School victims from a decade ago. Through these painful remembrances, we must all acknowledge our collective role and responsibility in preventing student deaths and ensuring that our schools and universities remain safe havens of learning.

His decision to include the Day of Silence might not seem like a huge deal, but he’s the first Secretary of Education to acknowlege the day in any way. That’s a step– albeit a baby step– in the right direction.