February 14, 2024 by Carlie Friedman (‘24)
An isolated school community is making changes after the Covid-19 pandemic which stranded students and hampered development. One of those changes is the implementation of restorative practices to create meaningful connections between students and prevent truancy, fights, and other issues that have plagued Saratoga Springs High School.
“Restorative practices include working with kids on being more empathetic towards each other and dealing with kids who made bad decisions in ways other than just detention or suspension,” said Christopher Conley, a teacher at the high school and one of the leaders of the program.
The school’s principal, Michelle Tsao, brought this program to Saratoga Springs. She approached two teachers, Christine Vilardo and Christopher Conley, who were more than eager to learn about it and eventually direct the program..
These practices are not meant to replace disciplinary consequences. Rather, they are a proactive method to prevent future problems from arising. “One of the other problems with suspensions was that a kid would come back to school, and they would just come back to school. Now, if a kid is suspended, they’re not going to come back to school without having a ‘pre-entry circle’ to reflect on what the issue was, take ownership, and repair the harm,” said Conley.
But this initiative goes beyond discipline. Many classrooms have already implemented these practices as a means of promoting socializing between peers. “There is this newfound understanding that restorative practices are the way to go. Especially since Covid-19, kids have really needed more social and emotional learning,” said Vilardo.
Annie Tolan is one of those students who has participated in a classroom circle discussion. Her circle was made up of Student Council members, teachers, and administrators.
“I felt iffy about it. I thought it wasn’t going to work,” Tolan said, “but I came out of it very emotional, and I realized that it does work very well.”
Student feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive. Some feel this practice creates respectful relationships between staff and students. “Instead of being like, ‘Okay, here’s your punishment,’ it might be more like, ‘You have this punishment, but this is why. Let’s talk about it,’” said Tolan.
SSHS staff are also hopeful about the influence of restorative practices and the direction that they can steer the school in. Many staff members who were coached in these methods already encountered the impression of them first-hand.
“It was eye-opening. It encompassed a lot of kids that have been through troubled situations and worked their way out of it, which I thought was impactful,” said Officer Glenn Barrett, the SSHS school resource officer.