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BOWER Distributed Free On Fridays For 10 Years! FUNERAL CHAPEL January 24, 2020 www.pcpatriot.com A Tradition Of Trust Providing Dignified And Affordable Funeral Services To Our Community. 1631 Bob White Blvd., Pulaski 980-6160 320 East Main St., Dublin 674-4665 We Now Have Our 2020 Almanac Calendars! Please Pick Up At Our Locally Owned And Operated Pulaski Location. Hey Pulaski! WE NEED YOU! For The Pulaski Flash Mob • Saturday, Jan. 25 At The Pulaski Theatre See Details Page A2 Restorative practices results mixed in schools By MIKE WILLIAMS The Patriot Superintendent gives school This school year Pulaski County Schools has board first semester report implemented restorative practices to deal with dis- on new discipline program cipline in county schools. And according to a mid- year report on its success, presented by School Su- Siers explained the school system in previous perintendent Dr. Kevin Siers, the results have been years had a “concerning disparity” in the percent- mixed. age of referrals for discipline and suspensions for Just what is restorative practices? African American students and for Students with “To sum it up in layman’s terms, restorative prac- a Disability. tices is adding the teaching component to disci- Siers said the school pline,” Siers said during the school board’s meeting system received a letter Tuesday. last year from the Virginia “It’s not really that you don’t discipline students, Department of Education it’s what we were missing previously.” citing concerns about the Siers used the example of a student who in the school system’s suspension WEEKEND WEATHER past misbehaved and they were suspended for five rates for students with a dis- days. Following the suspension, they went back ability. Saturday Sunday into the class, but, as Siers explained, no one took “A review of our data led Mostly cloudy, with a high Mostly cloudy, with a high the time to have a conversation with the student us to conclude that our prac- near 41. West wind 6 to 14 mph, near 39. about how they would respond the next time they tice of continually suspend- with gusts as high as 30 mph. were confronted with a situation the likes of which ing students for infractions Chance of precipitation is 20%. Sunday Night - Mostly they were suspended for originally. was not effective, based on cloudy, with a low around 31. “Instead of lashing out with profanity or what- the sheer number of repeat Saturday Night - Mostly ever may have occurred, how can you do it differ- Dr. Kevin Siers offenses that administrators cloudy, with a low around 32. ently,” Siers said. “How do you think other people encountered,” Siers said. were impacted by your behavior, and what can you Thus, restorative practices – a philosophical do to repair that relationship. “framework” for school culture based on the belief “All the teaching was missing,” Siers stated. “We that everyone is connected, and that each person were basically suspending kids and putting them has worth – was adopted. back in the same situation without instruction, and Siers told the board restorative practices incor- our job is to teach. This adds the teaching compo- nent to discipline we were already doing.” See SCHOOLS, page A2 RACE Saturday, Jan. 25 at 5:30 Enter Your Fastest Car INSIDE THIS WEEK To Beat The Competition! WIN FIVE FREE HAIRCUTS Patton Rally In 12-Year-Old Competition In Two Classes: Logistics Richmond Pulaski Hero •Class 1: Up To 10 Years Old •Class 2: 11 to 15 Years Old $12 million Pulaski County D'Amera Bolden development, 33 jobs area residents rally paid attention and coming to for 2nd Amendment it likely saved his Commerce Park. in Capitol. neighbor's life. ENTER AT OK BARBER SHOP. DEADLINE TO ENTER 5:30 P.M. JAN. 24 Page A7 Page B8 Page A3 Robinson Tract Valentine Dinner Saturday, Feb. 15 Prime Rib, Baked Potato, Salad, Rolls Homemade Desserts, Drink $22.50 Per Person Dinners Times: 4 p.m. 6 p.m. 7:30 p.m. Or Carry Out For Tickets Call 540-239-4720 Page A2 • The Patriot • January 24, 2020 Siers explained. Each classroom was to have give students a chance to repair a significant increase in the num- Schools Siers said all instructional per- one community building activi- their situation. ber of suspensions. sonnel and counseling staff were ty per week during the first nine Professional development He blamed that rise on elemen- Continued from Page A1 presented with an overview of weeks and every other week sessions were held during the tary schools having to deal with porates relationship building, restorative practices, and ex- thereafter. year for instructional personnel “a number of behaviors that you increasing trust and encouraging pectations were established that Siers said restorative practices around the ideas of restorative don’t typically see in kindergar- better communication between “community building” activities conferences were implemented practices. ten students. That seems to be school personnel, students and occur in class – activities that for Tier 1 incidents of disruption, Also, Siers said “restorative throughout the county this year families. allow students to communicate defiance and disrespect. Siers academies” were established at and throughout the area.” “When applied to school dis- with each other and teachers so said the conferences involved each of the county’s secondary At the middle school level, cipline, restorative practices in- they feel a sense of trust within teachers having a sidebar conver- schools to be used as an alterna- Siers said data shows a signif- volve assigning consequences the community. The activities sation with the student about how tive to short term suspensions. icant reduction in suspensions while teaching students about were designed to make students their behavior may have impact- Siers said in the past a student across the board and in the num- personal accountability and the feel more comfortable communi- ed others. That might also lead to might be suspended for five days. ber of repeat offenders. importance of repairing any cating with teachers about their discussions with parents and stu- “Now, they might be suspend- However, at Pulaski Coun- harm caused by their behavior,” problems. dents together – all in an effort to ed for one day and spend the ty High School, Siers said data other four in a restorative acad- “looks too good to be true.” emy where they are served by He said the data doesn’t cor- a highly qualified teacher, they relate with the feedback received work on their assignments and from teachers about the effective- get the assistance they need, and ness of restorative practices. That they also work on a restorative feedback, he said, “suggests that component. ‘How will I handle teachers were discouraged from the situation differently the next making referrals for discipline time.’ Hopefully it will help them and that many behaviors went make better choices next time,” unreported and unaddressed.” he reasoned. “I think the high school data is Siers said there have been vic- unreliable at best and will require tories this year. more research to find out why ev- “We have an ample number of erything is dropping across the classrooms at each school where board,” he said. restorative practices are being “There is no program or phi- implemented with success,” he losophy in the world that would said. Also, he stated the acade- get you those results. If that was mies are helping to reduce the happening and it was working, number of out of school suspen- we would not have received the sions and ensuring students are overwhelming negative feedback able to continue getting instruc- we’ve received about the pro- tion. gram,” Siers said. “And we are seeing a reduc- Next steps in the process, Siers tion in the number of repeat of- said, involve a February meeting fenders, which is ultimately our of the school system’s Restor- goal,” Siers said. ative Practices Advisory Team But problem areas still exist, to further develop a framework Siers said. He said implementa- that will work best for county tion was somewhat rushed and schools. goals were too broad; profession- al development was not sufficient Siers said a parent / commu- for increasing the comfort level nity information night will be of all teachers, and misinforma- held in March or April to discuss tion and incorrect assumptions where the county is in the restor- drove the narrative in the com- ative practices process and get munity. feedback for next year. “I think some of the negatives “The whole idea was not to got out and drove people’s feel- stop suspensions, but rather to ings about it [restorative practic- teach students to do what they es] before we could even access need to do so they wouldn’t be the data to see if it made any dif- suspended again,” Siers said. ference or not. But we are taking WE ARE PULASKI! some steps to correct that,” Siers Editor’s Note: Critzer Assis- said. tant Principal Angela Clevinger Siers explained that data from has submitted a column offering the first semester shows a sig- more information about restor- nificant reduction in discipline ative practices. Her column can referrals at the elementary level be found in this week’s edition on for students with a disability, but page A7. The Patriot - January 24, 2020 - Page A3 D'marea Bolden, 12 honored by town council as a hero By MIKE WILLIAMS handy on Dec. 22 of last year. The Patriot That evening, Bolden was walking home when he saw Twelve-year-old D’marea smoke coming from his neigh- Bolden was paying attention. bor’s house at 215 Henry Avenue.

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