There has been a lot of concern about increased violence (previous Cheat Sheet post here) and philosophy behind Urbana's recent attempts to institute restorative practices at their schools. From the News-Gazette last Wednesday:
Urbana school board president on discipline approach: Great idea, terrible executionMore at the full article here. More on the restorative practices initiative here.
Abandoning tradition, a somber Urbana school board President John Dimit delivered a statement at the board's meeting Tuesday night that expressed both confidence in the district's new behavioral system as well as deep concerns with its implementation.
Dimit's comments came after months of reaction to an early March announcement that the district's commitment to restorative practices merited the elimination of the dean positions at the middle and high schools.
Community members and district staff contacted the board and school officials or filled the public-comment period at meetings with anecdotes, with some applauding a commitment to restorative practices and others pointing to increased levels of violence at both schools — the latter continuing to be a topic of public comment Tuesday night.
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