Voice of Denver: Back to School with Common-Sense Discipline

As a former high school principal, this time of year always fills me with excitement. School is starting in and around Denver. Students head back to class, excited to learn and to see their friends and teachers. Teachers ready their lessons and set up their classrooms, looking forward to a year of new and returning students. As parents, we all look forward to another year of supporting and watching as our children grow into young women and men -- and we're happy and grateful to meet the incredible teachers helping them along this path. 

Yet for many young people and families in our community, excitement turns to confusion and hope to hurt, as their teachers struggle with discipline codes and practices that are pushing kids out of school.

On any given day, a young man of color in a Denver area school will likely be suspended. Most often, these youth are sent out for 'disobedience and defiance' or 'behavior detrimental to the functioning of the school,' offenses often lacking definition or boundaries. When he returns to school after his suspension, the young man will be even more disconnected and further behind academically because of missing time in class. And just one suspension means he is far more likely to drop out and even to end up in jail instead of school. Our schools are designed to build and support our young people and to prepare Denver's workforce of the 21st century; exclusionary discipline is making those goals impossible to reach.

There is a different way to handle classroom challenges, with proven success throughout metro Denver and across the country. This method, an approach to common-sense discipline called restorative justice, doesn't let anyone off the hook for misbehavior. Instead, it helps students, teachers, parents and administrators realize they are all part of creating a healthy school environment that works for everyone.

What if?

A teacher notices one of her students acting distracted in class. As she continues with her lesson, he checks his phone and explodes angrily when she asks him to put it away. Instead of the typical immediate referral from the teacher, a trained student stands, calmly walks over to the young man, and they leave the class together. After class, the two students return. They approach the teacher quietly and request a time for a restorative circle to discuss what happened.

In that facilitated circle, the young man shares that he was offended by a joke the teacher made and has since had trouble trusting her. After listening to the student, the teacher offers that she is frustrated when he disrupts class because she can't give other students the support they need. 

The young man's mother is there, too. She shares that they've been struggling financially and his father is ill, and that she had no idea her son was having problems at school. Another student talks about what a natural leader the young man is, and about his artistic talent. The school counselor offers that the student has had successes in other classes. Together, everyone in the circle crafts an agreement to repair the harm done in the situation and to use the opportunity to build relationships and honor the young man's strengths. 

The teacher acknowledges the student was offended by her joke and will be more thoughtful about her interactions, and commits to meeting with him each week for the remainder of the term. The student agrees to try some anger management techniques and to let the teacher know when he needs help in class. The counselor will help the family connect with financial and medical support resources. His mom will stop by to check in with the teacher on Fridays. The young man agrees to create a painting to be presented to the principal at their regular assembly and hung in the school hallway. And the only thing the rest of the school will know and see is a young man of color sharing his insights and abilities with his school community and stepping forward as a leader.

Ending the school-to-prison pipeline

This story sounds more complicated than a simple suspension – because it is. But saving students from dropping out -- or, even worse, ending up in the criminal justice system -- is worth the effort. 

In Denver and across the nation, an alarming trend has developed wherein young people and particularly young men of color are being sent out of our school systems and into incarceration through what's become known as the "school-to-prison pipeline." Statistics clearly lay out the path of this pipeline, often starting with a single school suspension. We have seen an impressive movement to end this trend in Colorado, with changes to zero-tolerance legislation, decreases in suspension disparities in some schools and districts and growing understanding and support of these shifts. However, there is still significant work to be done. 

Significant policy wins are in place thanks to community leadership and the hard work of organizations such as Padres y Jovenes Unidos. Parents, youth and teachers are now seeking the help they need in order to make the promise of these policies a reality in their schools. The right resources along with high quality training and support for educators, families, and students are essential. The Denver Foundation is honored to partner with the community in this important work to implement common-sense discipline to keep kids in school and learning, to ensure positive educational outcomes for all students. 

If you're interested in learning more, sign up for The Denver Foundation's Catalyst newsletter to stay informed about this important work.

Sarah Park is Director of Education for The Denver Foundation, a community foundation serving the Metro Denver area. She was principal of Mapleton Early College High School in Adams County.

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