Gwinnett schools working toward discipline training for all employees

Restorative practices emphasize relationship-building and addressing root causes of behavior over exclusionary discipline, such as suspensions. District leaders later realized the policy left principals and teachers unsure of what consequences they could use.

Superintendent Calvin Watts said his conversations with staff going into the school year that begins this week indicate a better understanding of the discipline policy and its goals.

Behavior coaches started restorative training for staff from each school — 1,175 employees — during the spring semester. Watts previously estimated restorative training requires 20 to 30 hours. Those employees will conduct that training in their schools with a focus on proactive strategies that build community.

In an interview Thursday, Watts emphasized accountability for students and teachers to create “a safe, supportive community within our schools that allows our students to learn and allows our teachers to teach, ultimately so our students can graduate and be successful.”

Data from the previous school year indicates fewer disciplinary actions amid increases in weapons found and more fighting.

Gwinnett had 13,418 suspensions and tribunals in the fall of 2021 but only 10,026 in the fall of 2022, despite reports from school employees of worsening behavior. In the spring, there were 17,119 suspensions and tribunals compared to 17,456 the prior spring semester.

The district still saw Black students account for a disproportionate amount of exclusionary discipline. Black students make up about 33% of students, but they accounted for close to half of the roughly 22,000 students suspended. There were 970 tribunals, and 544 involved a Black student.

Discipline data shows a stark change in how schools handled student behavior in the spring semester after the district paused the policy.

“Despite some of the challenges, we felt like we had a great year,” Eric Thigpen, director of academic support, said at a recent board meeting. “Our school leaders and teachers worked extremely hard to identify the needs of each and every student that displayed behavioral needs.”

Along with the start of restorative training by behavior coaches, the social worker staff more than doubled to 50 over the course of last school year, allowing for more impactful interventions for students with the most needs, Tinisha Parker, director of student services, said.

Board member Adrienne Simmons raised concerns about safety and weapons incidents disrupting learning time. She asked if the district had researched using metal detectors or similar devices to prevent contraband items from getting into schools.

Thigpen said the district has looked to what’s effective elsewhere, noting that any screening system comes with significant logistic decisions about maintenance, staffing and controlling entry to schools.

Simmons acknowledged that the idea will be unpopular for some, saying there’s a stigma attached because metal detectors are associated with going into a prison. She said metal detectors are in many places, including airports and government buildings. Attendees of Gwinnett school board meetings must pass through them.

Simmons declined to speak with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about her statements. “I do not currently have a firm stance on the issue,” Simmons said in an email. “I can, however, assert that student safety is a high priority for me alongside academic achievement.”

Staff writer Toni Odejimi contributed to this article.

Disciplinary changes in Gwinnett

Here’s a breakdown of safety and behavior data in several key categories in Gwinnett’s school system:

* The district notes that of the 17 guns found on campuses, six were in cars in school parking lots and one was accidentally included in a box of donated school supplies. Gwinnett partially attributes the increase to an improved reporting system.