John Thompson : The complexity of seeking safe and orderly schools

The complexity of seeking safe and orderly schools

The complexity of seeking safe and orderly schools

Nothing in education is more complex than the quest for safe and orderly schools. However, the last two Oklahoma City Public School District board meetings have seemed to focus on simplistic and quick fixes, implicitly blaming teachers. The district would benefit from learning from the evidence-based U.S. Office of Civil Rights’ (OCR) study of disparate suspensions, as well as what has and hasn’t worked.

When I participated in the 2016 OCR committee, we did more than push for a reduction of suspensions through training on implicit bias, classroom management, and restorative justice. The report, Civil Rights and the School-to-Prison Pipeline, drew upon the knowledge of Oklahoma educators and service providers when recommending holistic approaches for reducing suspensions. Rather than blaming teachers, the OCR respected suggestions that in-school suspension services be bolstered. It also recommended wraparound student supports in the highest-challenge schools.

Then-OKCPS Superintendent Robert Neu testified that “limiting suspensions for the sole purpose of improving statistics neglects the root of students’ inappropriate behavior — a lack of support or unmet needs.” He said, “We could lower those suspensions, but it would create chaos, and that’s why much of my testimony was focused on solutions, that we absolutely have to take a look at underlying conditions.”

Nearly four years later, the Jan. 27 OKCPS working board meeting was mostly devoted to suspensions, which Brett Dickerson of Oklahoma City Free Press reported had increased CONTINUE READING: The complexity of seeking safe and orderly schools