Efforts to curb student misbehavior and school violence could make for a busy summer this year in St. Paul.
Last week, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi took the wraps off a task force that will map out community strategies to combat school violence in the city and its suburbs.
His move came as six St. Paul schools prepare to test methods to improve school safety beginning in the fall.
Plans for the six "restorative practices pilot sites" came about as the result of a new teachers' contract that sought to address, among other things, student-on-staff violence. The winning proposals seek alternatives to suspensions and signal the challenges in easing the concerns that contributed to a difficult year and the ouster of Superintendent Valeria Silva in late June.
Budgets are tight, and while teachers had to sign on to the proposals, separate surveys of teachers overseen by a University of Chicago nonprofit group show that their commitment to their respective schools varies.
Here are the six schools that each secured up to $150,000 to implement new behavior strategies, and their plans:
American Indian Magnet School
Neighborhood: Dayton's Bluff
Challenges: Disruptive classroom behavior, inconsistent consequences and the difficulties faced by students trying to adjust to sixth grade. One-third of students do not feel supported when they seek help with bullying and other social issues.
Proposed fixes: Add two staff members to build on the practice of holding morning meetings with students, as well as community circles with elders who share stories and lessons on culture. Track whether students who chronically misbehave improve when given leadership opportunities.
Teacher commitment to school: Weak
School budget: $4.5 million, a 3.2 percent decrease
Farnsworth Aerospace Upper Campus
Neighborhood: Payne-Phalen
Challenges: Physical aggression toward staff is on the rise despite focused efforts to improve behavior by special education students in 2014-15 and the general population in 2015-16. A need was cited to train more staff members to de-escalate problem behavior.
Proposed fixes: Strengthen the practice of having students and staff meet in circles to build relationships and have students meet to talk after fights and other incidents. Provide restorative practice training to 11 teachers and a parent this summer.
Teacher commitment to school: Weak
School budget: $3.9 million, a 0.2 percent decrease
Incidents of student-on-staff violence (September 2014-March 2016): 5
Johnson High School
Neighborhood: Payne-Phalen
Challenges: Mistrust of adults and institutions by students grappling with pressures at home and in the community. A minority of students are causing the majority of problems. A majority of fights are between girls and occur on Mondays due to weekend conflicts via social media.
Proposed fixes: Empower students in ways that include exposing them to restorative justice practices to pre-empt rather than react to incidents. Hire a restorative practices and student development coordinator. Set specific goals for discipline and academic achievement.
Teacher commitment to school: Strong
School budget: $8.3 million, a 5.1 percent increase
Maxfield Elementary
Neighborhood: Summit-University
Challenges: Defiance, aggression and fighting, with causes said to be the "trauma and toxic stress" faced by students and their families. Test scores suffer due to student concerns over classroom safety. More than 80 students per year have been identified as homeless over the past three years.
Proposed fixes: Additional training for teachers and staff members to help students with self-control, mindfulness and other skills. Help students become leaders by developing a peer mediation and mentoring program.
Teacher commitment to school: Weak
School budget: $2.6 million, an 11.5 percent decrease
Murray Middle School
Neighborhood: St. Anthony Park
Challenges: Lack of consistency among teachers in referring students for discipline. Persistent achievement gap. While discipline referrals have declined overall, black students still are six times more likely than white peers to be labeled as defiant.
Proposed fixes: Build on work highlighting positive behavior and intervention efforts by training sixth-grade staff and students in the use of problem-solving circles and restorative conversations.
Teacher commitment to school: Neutral
School budget: $4 million, a 2.3 percent increase
Incidents of student-on-staff violence (September 2014 to March 2016): 4
Riverview West Side School of Excellence
Neighborhood: West Side
Challenges: Black students account for 49 percent of office referrals in discipline matters — yet black students account for only 19 percent of the enrollment. Staff members inconsistent in referring students for discipline.
Proposed fixes: Staff members to be trained monthly in restorative practices, and intervention strategies to be tried before students are removed from classrooms. If they are removed, a process is to be put in place by which students reflect in writing about their behavior and answers are shared with teachers before students return to class.
Teacher commitment to school: Very weak
School budget: $2.4 million, a 7.2 percent decrease
Anthony Lonetree • 612-673-4109
