Restorative Practices at Reid
Critical Music Course, Reid Speaks, Circle Update & More
Action Plans & Follow Up
Last week circle count:
- 2 re-entry circles held
- 5 one to one conversations
- 1 meeting for circle prep
Plan for this week:
- 1 re-entry circle
- 3 harm & Conflict Circles
- Campus wide community event - more to come
- Game & Activities Workshop- Tuesday 4-6:30 pm
Critical Music Course
Last week, the DC hip hop artist Yusha Assad called in to answer questions from students. The questions ranged from "How did you know the world needed to hear your voice?" to "Do you ever get angry when writing music? How does that show up in your work?" Students then wrote letters for me to send Yusha, wrote in their journals, and began contributing to the class blog www.reidspeaks.wordpress.com
Join us anytime! Mondays and Tuesdays from 1:30 pm-2:30 pm
What's happening in Room 15
Drumming with Taharka Anderson
Interview with Yusha Assad
CSULB College Fair
An LA Times article with Gaps & Response to the Editor
Restorative Justice in Schools - LAUSD
LA Times on Restorative Justice
A response to the editor:
Some teachers miss (or ignore) one of the most important points: The fight to end punitive school discipline and the school-to-jail track has been a community struggle against educational racism and the disproportionate punishment of black and brown students with suspensions, expulsions and citations or even arrests. In fact, the LAUSD adopted the Discipline Foundation Policy in 2007, so teachers should stop saying this program was imposed overnight. While it's good that United Teachers Los Angeles has been an ally over the past year and a half, the reality is that addressing racism in our schools means addressing the beliefs and practices of teachers, who seem to have the strongest aversion to restorative justice. The $60 million spent by the district on school police would go a long way toward funding restorative justice, counselors, mental health specialists and social workers to keep kids in school. But we as a society must first address how our funds are set up for punishment and exclusion and not building supportive educational spaces.
Manuel Criollo, Los Angeles
The writer is director of organizing for the civil-rights advocacy group Community Rights Campaign.