CENTRAL FALLS, RI – In an effort to improve school safety, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, along with U.S. Representatives Jim Langevin and David Cicilline, today announced a $3,680,000 federal grant to the Central Falls School District.  The federal funds will be used to conduct a pilot project on how to make schools safer, primarily through the use of “restorative justice” case conferences, in which students, teachers, and families work together to resolve conflicts and repair any harm caused by misbehavior.  The program is part of a federal initiative designed to comprehensively study and evaluate the best methods to make schools safe, including security measures, behavioral and mental health services, anti-bullying programs, and a range of other factors. 

The Central Falls School District will work with schools in Westerly, and two charter districts, Blackstone Valley Prep and the Greene School, to launch the program.  The Urban Institute will lead the project’s evaluation, in partnership with The Providence Plan.

The project is funded as part of the Comprehensive School Safety Initiative, for which Congress appropriated $75 million to the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) at the U.S. Department of Justice.  NIJ launched a unique program, “Developing Knowledge about What Works to Make Schools Safe,” to provide grants to local education agencies to improve school safety while rigorously testing innovative approaches.  NIJ launched the Initiative in early 2014 in response to a Congressional request for a broad, research-based effort to improve school safety in schools across the country.

“First and foremost, we need to ensure our children are safe at school.  We also need to help our schools develop more effective approaches to discipline to keep students in school and learning.  This federally-funded, innovative approach to improving school safety will help us test the most effective ways to enhance school safety,” said U.S. Senator Jack Reed, a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS), who helped make funding available for the Comprehensive School Safety Initiative and led the delegation letter in support of this application.  “I applaud the Central Falls School District and their partners for putting together a successful application.  This study will help develop new approaches to improving school safety.”

“A good education starts with a safe learning environment,” said U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse.  "This funding will help Central Falls address barriers to learning like bullying and truancy -- providing parents with important peace of mind.  I congratulate Mayor Diossa and the Central Falls School District on winning this award.”

“If we want our young people to learn and grow effectively, school needs to be a safe environment where they can express themselves.  This program will not only reduce violence but it will also allow all students to better understand and communicate with one another, improving disciplinary outcomes," said Congressman Jim Langevin.  “I am especially pleased to see schools and educators working across district lines to develop a program that could change the culture of education for our young people.  I am hopeful that this project will position Central Falls to share best practices with the rest of Rhode Island's schools in the future."

“Children are our nation’s greatest resource and education is vital to their healthy development and competitiveness in the workforce,” said Congressman David Cicilline, a member of the House Judiciary Committee.  “I’m proud to join my colleagues in announcing these federal funds that will help Central Falls launch a school safety pilot program that will help keep kids in the classroom and away from the criminal justice system by promoting effective discipline policies.”

“I'm very proud of the partnership the City has developed with the Central Falls School District during my administration.  Being awarded this grant will allow us to continue our joint vision to keep our students in a safe learning environment, while they receive an education,” said Mayor James Diossa.

“This project represents a unique opportunity to demonstrate how we can keep children safe in our schools,” said Central Falls School District Superintendent Dr. Frances Gallo.  “Beyond the academic skills that students acquire, schools must also teach care, kindness, and empathy.  In doing so, schools must be receptive to embracing students who make mistakes, be willing to have uncomfortable conversations when they do, and teach students how to make amends in meaningful and deep ways.  We strongly believe that this project will improve the ‘climate and culture’ in our schools and that these results will extend into the City of Central Falls as well.”

“The Urban Institute is excited to be working with Central Falls and the Providence Plan on this important project,” said Akiva Liberman, Senior Fellow at the Urban Institute, who will lead the evaluation.  “Considerable evidence supports restorative justice approaches.  In the school context, this approach has the potential to provide accountability and improve school safety while reducing the negative side-effects of harsh and punitive approaches to misbehavior.  I am delighted to be leading a strong evaluation of the program, through which Central Falls will also contribute important knowledge to the field as a whole about applying restorative justice to school safety.”

“The Providence Plan is excited to be a partner in this project,” said ProvPlan executive director Patrick McGuigan.  “For years, ProvPlan has been committed to working with policymakers and practitioners throughout the state to provide accurate analysis that can inform strategic policy decisions.  This project represents an unparalleled opportunity to bring together data from numerous sources and examine which methods are working to truly improve the educational outcomes for students.”

The funded project, “Using a Restorative Justice Approach to Enrich School Climate and Improve School Safety,” builds on work in the Central Falls School District and other participating local educational agencies, which have begun integrating a restorative justice practice into school disciplinary procedures.  Restorative justice is a process that brings together victims and offenders, enabling everyone affected by a particular incident to play a part in repairing the harm and finding a positive way forward.  The process doesn’t let offenders escape punishment or get off lightly, but rather provides a chance for offenders to face the consequences of their actions and assists them in taking steps to help heal the harm they have caused.  The federal grant announced today will enable the further implementation of this program to middle-and high-school settings over a two-school-year timeframe and conduct more than 1,300 restorative justice conferences with students who could otherwise be suspended.

In their application for the grant, Central Falls School District officials wrote: “Harsh approaches to school discipline and safety may have unintended consequences that negatively affect students.  Exclusionary discipline and the criminalization of minor infractions have been shown to limit student achievement and labeling research shows that official sanctions can increase youth involvement in antisocial behavior while also increasing punitive responses, as part of the ‘school-to-prison’ pipeline.  Moreover, a growing body of evidence finds that these sanctions are often applied disproportionately to youth of color…Because of its focus on inclusion, accountability, and the community, restorative justice within school settings is a promising approach that warrants greater examination.”

The pilot program is tentatively expected to run from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2017.

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