CEDAR RAPIDS — The goals of a new strategic plan under consideration by the Cedar Rapids school board are to decrease fighting, physical aggression and weapons in schools and create a safe and secure learning environment.
The plan includes five recommendations, created by a Safety Advisory Council of school staff and community members, that seek to address the needs and concerns of the school community, move away from punitive discipline to restorative and healing-centered models and reduce the disproportionate discipline and behavior infractions of students of color and in special education.
A final recommendation of the strategic plan is expected to be presented to the school board at its next meeting at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 26 at the Educational Leadership and Support Center, 2500 Edgewood Rd. NW in Cedar Rapids.
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The board in May hired West Wind Education Policy Inc. under a five-month, $118,000 contract to help develop this plan and provide expertise, conduct more than 150 interviews of school staff and community members and facilitate the council meetings.
West Wind works across the country to build the capacity of leaders to imagine and enact public K-12 education systems that overcome historic and persistent inequities and engage each and every child in learning. The firm has its headquarters in Iowa City.
Circe Stumbo, president of West Wind Education Policy, said the challenges in Cedar Rapids schools are “mirrored” in other schools across the country.
“We’re seeing rising concerns around things like school shootings, bullying and harassment — particularly in the age of social media — and a deepening understanding of the ways historical and persistent trauma impact youth and adults in systems like schools,” Stumbo said.
In interviews and focus groups with Cedar Rapids school staff and leaders, Stumbo said “serious and deep concerns” emerged about safety, security and the culture of the school district.
Some staff “often feel overwhelmed and question whether their sense of safety is a priority for the district,” according to a 64-page document called “Background on the Strategic Plan Recommendations” created by West Wind and provided to The Gazette.
“Other (staff) share that staff and students in their buildings accept that there will be violence and fights. … The concerns also vary by individual, with some teachers and staff thinking about leaving the district because of student behavior and what looks like a lack of consequences for students engaging in verbally or physically aggressive behavior,” the document says.
The five recommendations in the strategic plan are:
- Recommendation 1: Adopt and use guiding principles to inform decision-making around safe and secure learning environments.
- Recommendation 2: Develop a restoration and discipline matrix along with guidance for how to reduce disproportionality and use professional judgment.
- Recommendation 3: Ensure coherent implementation across district initiatives in order to support the creation of safe and secure learning environments.
- Recommendation 4: Provide high quality and responsive professional development to create and maintain safe and secure learning environments.
- Recommendation 5: Develop a multidirectional communication plan that fosters trust and a culture of shared accountability for creating and sustaining safe and secure learning environments.
The recommendations were created by a Safety Advisory Council that included 26 Cedar Rapids school staff and members from the community, including representatives from Kids First Law Center and Foundation 2 Crisis Services, a mental health and human services agency in Cedar Rapids.
The Kids First Law Center gives children a voice in divorce, custody and other conflicts by providing them with legal representation and services. The Cedar Rapids school district has an agreement with Kids First to provide peace facilitators at several schools to resolve conflict and create solutions.
School board responds
Cedar Rapids school board members applauded the work of the Safety Advisory Council while also repeatedly asking for the plan to be “simplified.”
“I think you’re hearing common themes about respecting our staff’s time, not putting one more thing on their plate,” school board President Cindy Garlock said. “I just kept thinking if only we had more time and if only we had more staff, we could do this. I think it’s all doable if we roll it out slowly enough for people to get on board.”
David Tominsky, vice president of the school board, said they should be “careful what we take out” of the plan.
“It might be overwhelming, but all of the recommendations are important,” Tominsky said. “We have to spend the time to educate everyone on precisely what it means and why. I’m lucky to have kids that have gone to schools that implement restorative practices. I’m a firm believer it’s a good thing, so we need to make sure the rest of the community understands that as well.”
“I would challenge us to be ready to take on the heavy work because that’s exactly what this is,” Tominsky said.
Superintendent Tawana Grover said the district currently is working on a change management process that asks: “If we bring forward an initiative, what is it going to replace?” This avoids adding more to the already heaping plates of educators, she said.
“I don’t want our teachers to be overwhelmed with another initiative,” school board member Nancy Humbles said. “This is needed, but we’ve got to find a better balance. We want this to be quality and not half-baked with people just going through the motions because then we don’t accomplish anything.”
Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com
