After a conflict between a St. Louis Public Schools teacher and student, a solution came about after mediation between the two parties.
“Both the student and teacher, accompanied by an administrator, met in an isolated space and discussed the problem, both parties listening to the other person and shared how they felt emotionally during the conflict, and what they each could have done differently,” said Kristi Teall, superintendent of St. Louis Public Schools, in a statement Thursday. “This allowed both parties to see the other person’s view of the conflict.”
Using restorative discipline practices at school districts in Michigan have been required since last year when a package of new state laws was passed requiring these rules be put in place at all buildings.
The laws, which took effect at the start of the school year last September, require school officials to consider some type of restorative practices, aka restorative justice, rather than automatically suspending or expelling students for a disciplinary issue, with the only exception being if a student brings a firearm to school.
A solution reached in the incident at St. Louis Public Schools helped so that no instances have occurred again between the two parties.
“We use the same approach when there is student to student conflict,” Teall said. “We have found that when students are given a chance to voice their feelings in a safe and controlled environment they are more likely to resolve the issue and not have additional issues arise.”
The laws were passed to reverse the “zero tolerance” philosophy enacted in the 1990s - especially after the 1999 Columbine High School shooting - that focused on punishment and reduced flexibility that “resulted in unintended consequences,” said an analysis of the law by the state House Fiscal Agency.
“With no ability to consider a student’s age, developmental abilities or intent, the discipline often does not fit the crime,” the analysis said before the restorative-practices laws were passed. “This has led to a substantial increase in out-of-school suspension and expulsion in the past few decades.”
The new laws received bipartisan support among politicians and universal support among educational organizations as well as the Michigan Council on Crime and Delinquency.
Officials believe restorative practices contributes to reducing potential violence and threats in schools, among other benefits, in the modern age of mass school shootings.
Mid-Michigan school districts such as Alma Public Schools only started using the practices this school year.
“Problems were indeed successfully mediated and these interactions varied between the principal, assistant principal and/or school success mentor. A sense of understanding and strengthening of relationships occurred among students and staff,” a statement Friday indicated from Tom Torok, Alma High School Principal, assistant principal Dan Falor, and Bryan Anderson, the high school’s school success mentor.
In addition, positive dialogue, strengthening communications face-to-face between and students and staff, and an increased awareness by students that originally got them suspended all occurred at Alma Public Schools because of the new practices, the staff members wrote.
“Some kids have not only stayed out of further trouble but have even been nominated for ‘Student of the Month’ due to positive actions noticed by their peers and/or staff,” the statement indicated.
In the upcoming school year, the district intends to train all middle school and high school staff on restorative practices intervention model and to bring it to the pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade buildings.
The Macomb Daily reporter Jameson Cook contributed to this report.