Evaluating the Effectiveness of Restorative Justice Practices in Albany Schools and its Implications for Saratoga Springs
On Saturday, the Saratoga Wokeness Inc. will be hosting a seminar to discuss the implementation of "restorative justice" practices in K-12 schools.
These practices prioritize addressing the underlying causes of disruptive behavior, rather than solely imposing consequences.
They have gained popularity in the wake of the death of George Floyd, with advocates arguing that the statistical disparities in disciplinary rates between ethnic groups constitute evidence of a "systemically racist" system.
However, recent implementation of these practices in the Albany school district has yielded unintended consequences for both students and teachers.
According to the Times Union; "The change – implemented before the pandemic – eliminated punishments for those who missed more than seven days a quarter or 28 days in a school year. Those students faced failing the quarter or the year and being required to attend summer school, unless there were extenuating circumstances such as illness.
Now students are counseled and offered help, with staffers trying to determine why they are skipping class.
An Albany High School teacher, Loren Green, has implored the Board of Education to reinstate an attendance policy, asserting that without consequences for skipping class, absenteeism has soared."
We are sending two messages to kids: you don’t have to come to class and you don’t have to do any work,” he said in an interview after he read brief remarks to the board.
"He teaches 11th grade English and advanced placement English. He told the board that 41 of his 150 students have extreme absenteeism. Six students have not attended any of his classes this school year. Another 13 students have attended fewer than 10 of his classes in the 72 school days so far this year, and 22 students have missed more than 30 of his classes, he said.
Only 51 of his 150 students have turned in the six assignments he has set so far, he said."
Additionally, Green has alleged that administrators are changing grades at the end of the school year to pass students who did not do the work.
"He also said administrators are changing grades at the end of the school year to pass students who did not do the work. Administrators passed 15 students who he failed last year, he said, including students who had not turned in any assignments and one student who had never attended his class, didn’t do any assignments and did not take the English Regents."
The Times Union, a leftist newspaper, has published a critical editorial about the district's restorative justice practices, contending that such a policy may feel like kindness to administrators, yet in reality, it constitutes a "cruel trick" that leaves students woefully unprepared for the challenges to come.
In Saratoga, the school board has recently revamped its code of conduct to include similar restorative justice measures. While the implementation of these policies is still in its nascent stages, Saratoga parents are encouraged to approach these changes with a healthy dose of skepticism and to carefully consider the potential consequences.
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