Monroe Schools' Restorative Training

A program aimed at “restorative practice training” for teachers in the Monroe City School System was approved by the Monroe City Schools Board at its Tuesday Aug. 17, 2022 meeting. The program will be provided by a firm called Time 4 Academics, whose goal is to offer professional learning services to help teachers and students in the school system “with communication and understanding”. Time 4 Academics Representative Frances Hester said that “Human beings need strong, intentional relationships to survive” to board members. Hester went on to say that what is called restorative practices, “repair” harm to broken relationships, perhaps sending a signal that has not only happened in Monroe, but also in other school systems across the nation. One needs to only look around the nation and see that many school boards are being “taken over” by some community members, claiming that the children are being indoctrinated by liberal ideas. Those broken relationships extend into the community because that’s where children from all walks of life come from. One of the issues that the program will address is bullying, that is prevalent in more schools than we know, because so much of it goes unreported by a student, until something tragic happens to that student. Sam Moore, director of Child Welfare and Attendance for MCSB said that, “We will create a culture where kids feel comfortable reporting bullying”. If that was a reference to addressing bullying that is already going on or if that is anticipated at some time in the future, the school will be ready to address that issue, the community wants to know.

School board member Jennifer Haneline probably asked the question that was on everyone’s mind when she asked, whether “implicit bias”, that something we all have, would be discussed during the training. Implicit bias, how we “see” others without really knowing the truth, based on stereotypes and not taking the time to know that individual, prevents relationships from developing or damaging/destroying an existing one. “Does it help people understand their blind spots and that the way they see things may not be way they actually are,” Haneline asked. Moore and Hester indicated that implicit bias will be part of the training. This may be a “major step” forward for the school board as the program gets underway. As of now, there doesn’t appear to be any opposition as of yet, but for a $552,674 price tag, if this will help teachers and students communicate more and “restore” relationships back to what they were, one can hope that will flow out into the community. A school, like a church, is the life blood of the community. If we are not getting along in church, what hope is there for the community? If the schools are not meeting the needs of the students, what hope is there for their future. The program is for 90 days of training over a 2-year period between June 28, 2022 to June 30, 2024.