–City Councilman Zeke Cohen, leaders of the Baltimore Teachers Union, and several city schools students held a rally outside City Hall calling on district leadership to implement the OSI-initiated and -supported restorative practices program in all Baltimore City schools.–
By WMAR Staff
BALTIMORE — Parents, teachers and local groups are shouting out against violence in schools.
In front of City Hall in Baltimore on Tuesday, the Parent Community Advisory Board, The Baltimore Teachers Union, the Healing Youth Alliance, Baltimore City Schools board member Durryle Brooks, Baltimore Councilman Zeke Cohen, and other anti-violence movements rallied to push for new initiatives to stop violence in schools.
…Cohen said that a 2018 study conducted by a researcher at Johns Hopkins University found that restorative practices in 15 City Schools led to a significant improvement in school climate and a major reduction in suspensions. The study recommended district wide implementation in all schools, for all school staff, by 2022.
Leaders said less than a third of Baltimore City Public Schools have received school-wide training.
“The report called for every school to be trained by 2023, yet currently, less than one-third of our schools provide intensive restorative training. We must do more,” Cohen said.
