“Dr. G, you betta get that girl! I have been trying to do the right thing like you asked me to!” I still remember the young lady, the room we were in, “Peace Room”, and the moment she walked into her space to seek help.
As the newly appointed Director of Student Support, I had a vision of proactive steps to mitigate the risk of students suspended at alarming rates, especially for students of color. This job was a golden opportunity to implement a vision for support BEFORE the violation occurred. As a former school administrator and hearing officer I knew all too well that we suspend students due to lack of compliance with the student code of conduct. The hearing process is a procedural process, but I would ask myself, “What if the student had an opportunity to be supported, or knew where to go for support to avoid a violation of the code of conduct?”
Well, here I was, barely a year removed from the school context or the hearing table, and I saw the possibility of student support, through a system of support and restorative culture embedded in the fabric of the school.
The student knew where to go, the Peace Room, in order to try to avoid violence. I initially thought it was a set up, with a hidden camera somewhere with some carefully orchestrated moments to allow for district personnel to see a Restorative Culture in real time.
It was not. It was organic. It was effective. It was actual school culture in action. It was a product of a lot of people that eat, sleep, and breathe Restorative Justice. More specifically, the moment was a product of the collaboration with GCC and Clarke Middle School, and that collaboration was alive and well.
After that, I sought to have more dialogue with Danny and the GCC Team to explore a “Scaled” version of CMS’s Restorative Culture that could be moved to all 24 schools and centers.
Since then, I have learned the value of various circles, and restorative conversations that can also be deployed as tools for schools/centers and the community.
That day, I not only believed in GCC, I became a partner with GCC!
