The Illinois Safe Schools Alliance (the Alliance) applauds Chicago Public Schools (CPS) on its just-released draft of the Student Code of Conduct for its movement toward limiting the use of exclusionary school discipline and focusing on improving school climate and positive behaviors, specifically for addressing and preventing bullying.
The Alliance, however, is very concerned to read language prohibiting the use of restorative measures to address bullying, and is asking the CPS board to move to eliminate this language from the anti-bullying policy prior to a vote. Restorative measures can be effective in addressing bullying situations and should be an option for school personnel to utilize, just as other behaviors included in the code are addressed.
To make the changes in the Student Code of Conduct real in the lives of students and families, CPS must effectively implement the mandatory professional development it references in the '12-'13 school year. School personnel need professional development to understand the changes, ask questions and shift from exclusionary discipline techniques to those that are restorative and focus on supporting positive behaviors.
The Alliance is excited to partner with CPS to develop and provide that professional development in order to ensure it is inclusive of the unique needs of students and families who are, or are perceived to be, LGBT. Additionally, CPS needs to adopt our proposed procedures for working with transgender and gender non-conforming students and their families to ensure that all students have a safe and respectful place to learn.
The Illinois Safe Schools Alliance