The number of physical altercations at Jackson-Reed has significantly decreased this school year.
One of the most frequent causes of fights is disagreements between students. Ranging from simple difference in opinion, to envy, to bullying, resulting verbal altercations can often turn physical.
According to administration’s Student Behavior Tracker, there were 46 fights between August 28 and January 18 in the 2022-23 school year. This year, in that same time span, only 18 fights were recorded on school grounds, a decline of around 60%.
First published by DCPS in 2009 and updated since then, the Student Behavior Discipline Policy lays out a tiered punishment system, but opts for schools to adopt a more proactive and student-led approach of discipline. Depending on the severity of the fight, students are allocated to tier 4 and 5 punishments which include off-site suspensions ranging from 1-90 days and expulsion.
Support staff for students experiencing disagreements has increased under Principal Sah Brown. The preexisting Culture & Climate team expanded at the beginning of the 2023 school year, receiving a new director and several members carrying administrative positions. Mental health services also grew with the hiring of two DCPS school-based social workers and a school-based clinician.
“[This growing team] gives us the ability to have more eyes in the hallway,” Director of the Culture & Climate team Stephon Seraile said. “With the two Restorative Justice Coordinators we have on staff now, we’re able to have meditations before alterations occur.”
The Culture & Climate team has put particular emphasis on just that: proactive measures before needing to take reactive ones. “We’ve created an atmosphere of trying to be proactive,” said 12th grade and Lead Dean of Students Mark Martin.
“When students identify and realize that someone has a vested interest in their success, they’re less likely to be ‘repeat offenders’, so to speak,” 10th grade Dean of Students Ryan Norris affirmed.
The Restorative Justice Coordinators especially work to communicate and de-escalate conflict between community members. “Communication is really, really big. We have 200 adults to man these 2,000 kids! That’s obviously not even,” Restorative Justice Coordinator Daniellea Valdez explained. “But we’re dealing with young adults as well. So if you give them the freedom to speak freely, to be heard, and build relationships, these things change the culture.” Many conflicts have been avoided after mediations with the Restorative Justice Coordinators, where students have opportunities to express themselves to their peers with necessary guidance from the adult in the room.
“When you have a voice in the school, you are less likely to do things to negatively impact the climate and culture of the building,” Seraile echoed.
In terms of punishment, the same criteria stands with the tier system determining the punishments for students who stray out of line. However, with as much proactive work as administration has been pushing, higher-tier punishments haven’t been as necessary. “Being on the restorative side, we are trying to keep students in school,” Restorative Justice Coordinator Minoso Rodgers said. “We try to find alternatives [to expulsion and suspension], whether it’s community service or providing more resources.”
Valdez carries an open-door policy, whereas Rodgers is seen more openly throughout the building. They are available for conversations anytime, along with countless other staff members. “If in [the melting pot of culture at JR] we’re going to have some conflict, know that there is a way to resolve it; it does not have to be violent,” said Valdez. “Words do hurt but they can heal.”
