What Happens When a School Stops Arresting Kids for Throwing Skittles [theatlantic.com]

Alicia Doktor 11/28/174:00 AM

There’s been a fight at Marrero Middle School. Two sixth graders traded insults during football practice, someone threw a punch, and soon enough they were on the ground with a ring of students egging them on.

A few years ago, a fight like this might have ended with someone being suspended, or even arrested. But over the past year and a half, the New Orleans-area middle school has rebuilt its entire approach to discipline.

Now, the two boys are sent to John Kulakowski, a teacher who splits his time between English class and leading sessions known as restorative circles. He pulls a few desks together in a circle and starts asking questions, staring intently into each student’s eyes as they speak. What happened? Who was affected? How did it make you feel?

[For more on this story by AVIVA SHEN, go to https://www.theatlantic.com/po...ing-skittles/546482/]

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