The head of city public schools admitted the Department of Education’s controversial shift away from traditional discipline needs work — as a new report gave the “restorative justice” policy a failing grade.
Still, Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos insisted the $100 million push toward the softer discipline style — which favors “meditation rooms” and phone calls to parents over suspensions — was here to stay.
“This work is far from done. But it’s not leaving New York City public schools,” Aviles-Ramos said Wednesday night during a meeting of the DOE’s Panel for Educational Policy.
“In fact, it will be redefined because it is incredibly important that young people know, ‘If I make a mistake, I am welcomed back into this community.'”
The comments came as the new study, released by the Manhattan Institute think tank Thursday, found the new disciplinary policy has largely been a bust — with police incidents in schools doubling to 4,200 reports this year and “chronic absenteeism” spiking to a whopping 35%.
Shocking incidents and data cited in the report pointed to increased disruptive behaviors and questions over classroom safety and academic progress since the reforms began in 2015 under then-Mayor Bill de Blasio, and continuing under Mayor Eric Adams.
In response to the report, rep for Aviles-Ramos defended the policy as a success, claiming students were “safe, supported and engaged.”
But during the PEP meeting, Aviles-Ramos said “implementation” of the policy needed improvement.
“I think we need to track this work better. I think we need to celebrate those wins,” the chancellor said. “And where we don’t see impact it is not because restorative practices don’t work, it is because we need to look at the implementation.”
She said parents need to be better trained to support disruptive students at home.
“What happens in a school building must be supported in the home because that is truly when we partner,” Aviles-Ramos said.
She insisted the city’s ongoing efforts to reduce suspensions and support students getting back in the classroom after disciplinary incidents were misunderstood.
“That’s the piece that we don’t talk enough about when it comes to restorative justice,” the chancellor said at the PEP meeting.
“When a young person is suspended for something egregious — because those things happen, unfortunately — what it also means is that a young person is coming back to a loving and warm environment that says, ‘Your action doesn’t define you as a person. We still love you.’”