Resources for Diversity

Introduction

Definition

Diversity is a human value based on a concept of inclusion. People exhibit this value by showing respect for individual and group differences.

Objective

The primary objective of this resource guide is to promote diversity throughout the entire population of the school, including students, faculty, and administration, ultimately throughout the surrounding community.

pRationale

Recent studies have shown that violence in schools throughout the Unites States has decreased significantly since 1994. Dewey G. Cornell, using statistics provided by the U. S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, has demonstrated that the annual rate of violent crime in schools has decreased since 1994 by more that 50% (“Fear of School Violence”). Statistics provided by the Virginia Department of State Police, moreover, demonstrate that schools in Virginia are one of the least likely places that violent crime will take place (Cornell). Although our schools are clearly among the safest of public areas from violent crimes, statistics of discipline violations provided by the Virginia Department of Education show a significant amount of disruptive behavior, “one incident for every three students” (Cornell). Disruptive behaviors most frequently reported are “fights without injury” and “threats/intimidation”; “battery against students,” “theft without force,” and “bullying” also account for a significant number of reported incidents. Harassment of any kind, including bullying, demands disciplinary intervention; however, the perpetrator of such disruptive behavior often becomes even more hostile after traditional, punitive discipline, such as detention and suspension. Judy Mullet of Eastern Mennonite University has demonstrated through research the effectiveness of conflict resolution and restorative justice. In recent workshops she has shown how restorative discipline “seeks to create, nurture, and amend relationships”; restorative justice, moreover, restores respect to the victim and educates the perpetrator about just and respectful behavior (Mullet, “A Restorative Justice Approach to Education”).

These behaviors, bullying and various kinds of harassment, obviously threaten and isolate students. Consequently a student who feels threatened or isolated spends much of the school day in an atmosphere that is not conducive to learning, one that stifles personal initiative, discourages cooperation with peers, and robs the student of participation in the excitement of educational discovery. In addition to appropriate disciplinary action, educators can also foster an attitude of individual respect, conducive to learning through positive efforts in diversity. A panel sponsored by the Center for Multicultural Education at the University of Washington and the Common Destiny Alliance at the University of Maryland set out to determine what is known and how it is known about educational diversity. This interdisciplinary panel of two psychologists, a political scientist, a sociologist, and four specialists in multicultural education arrived at conclusions in the form of principles about what actions should be taken in respect to diversity in education. Principle #9 states that “Schools should provide opportunities for students from racial, ethnic, cultural, and language groups to interact socially under conditions designed to reduce fear and anxiety” (Banks). As Sylvia Hurtado points out, “an emphasis on diversity in the curriculum and in institutional priorities often leads to improvements in the learning environment for students” (“How Diversity Affects Teaching...”).

Diversity, however, need not be regarded simply as a tool to counteract fear and anxiety. Diversity encourages personal initiative in an atmosphere of cooperation, which can lead to rewarding experiences in an exciting educational setting. As a group of instructors at a workshop (October 20, 2006) on Multicultural Teaching at James Madison University concluded, diversity is the default attitude of teaching. Eileen Gale Kugler points out several clear advantages to a diverse educational setting: “classes are more engaging”, “students learn to think more deeply and question more when they are challenged by peers with different perspectives”, and “prejudices and stereotypes break down when students have the opportunity to get to know peers from other backgrounds on a personal level”. An elementary teacher from Arlington, Virginia, notes that “students really tune in when they are learning about each other” (Kugler 8). A professor expresses the following opinion about students coming from diverse schools: “they see alternatives; they look beyond the obvious” (Kugler 9). Some parents have seen diversity in education as fostering leadership. As one parent has stated, that among his children, only the one that attended a diverse school has best been prepared “to be a leader of the future” (Kugler 8).

The goal in creating this Resource Guide for Diversity, then, is to foster the educational advantages of a diverse education: engaging and challenging classes, different perspectives that encourage students to probe ideas more deeply, and greater human understanding that prepares students for leadership. At the same time through diversity, we hope to break down prejudices and stereotypes that lead to the behaviors that hinder education by robbing students of participation in the excitement of educational discovery and stifling personal initiative.

Works Cited

Banks, James A. “Diversity Within Unity: Essential Principles for Teaching and Learning in a Multicultural Society.” New Horizons for Learning: Seattle, 2001. www.newhorizons.org/

Cornell, Dewey G. “Fear of Violence.” Address delivered at the School Violence: A Safe Schools Initiative Conference at James Madison University: Harrisonburg, November 5, 2005.

Hurtado, Sylvia. “How Diversity Affects Teaching and Learning Climate of Inclusion has a positive effect on learning outcomes.” Association of American Colleges & Universities: Washington, 2006. www.diversityweb.org. Link: “Benefits of Diversity.” Reprinted from the Fall 1996 issue of the Educational Record, Washington, D.C.

Kugler, Eileen Gale. “Diversity “Myth-Perceptions.’” Virginia Journal of Education. October 2006, pages 6-10.

Mullet, Judy H. “A Restorative Justice Approach to Education.” Presentation delivered at the School Violence: A Safe Schools Initiative Conference at James Madison University: Harrisonburg, November 5, 2005.

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Using this Guide

I. Administrators

A. For actions that can be undertaken to encourage diversity in schools, the website for Teaching Tolerance, Part I A is excellent.

B. The professional organization, Phi Delta Kappa International (PDK), Part I B, is valuable for assistance to increase awareness and understanding of issues in diversity. Its monographs called “Fastbacks” can be especially valuable for succinct discussions about specific issues.

C. The National Education Association (NEA), Part I C also provides valuable resources for administrators.

D. For alternative approaches to discipline, see Part V.

E. For recent initiatives in diversity undertaken in the Rockingham County Public Schools, see Part VI .

II. Teachers: Resources for classroom practices and activities are grouped under the following categories:

A. General Resources: Part I

Sources in this category are comprehensive. These sources include a wealth of activities that can be used in a variety of academic areas and at different grade levels. Several of these sources also target specific issues in diversity, e.g. ethnicity, racism, religion, sexual orientation, and sexism. Several also provide materials that offer educators a deeper understanding of these issues.

B. Resources Across the Curriculum: Part II

These are resources for cross-curricular or interdisciplinary material and activities for various grade levels.

C. Resources by Subject Areas: Part III

1. Standards of Learning Areas: English, Mathematics, Sciences, and Social Studies; The Fine Arts: Communication and Media, Drama, Music, Visual Arts; Technical and Vocational Arts

2. World Languages: French, Latin, and Spanish

3. English as a Second Language: Resources for this area are grouped with those of World Languages.

III. Counselors

A. For actions that can be undertaken to encourage diversity in schools by all educators, the website for Teaching Tolerance, Part I A is excellent.

B. For recent initiatives in diversity undertaken in the Rockingham County Public Schools, see Part VI.

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Part I: General Resources

A. Teaching Tolerance

www.tolerance.org.

Teaching Tolerance is a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama. Its mission is to provide “educators with free educational materials that promote respect for differences and appreciation of diversity in the classroom and beyond.” Its web site is the most valuable resource overall, providing a wealth of free materials for all educational levels and all subject areas. The “Site Guide” on the menu bar provides “Site Features by Audience,” which lists links within the following categories:

· Adults/Activists: most appropriate for administrators

· Teachers/Teaching Tolerance

· Parents

· Teens

· Children

Materials are organized according to the following categories:

· General (all grade levels)

· Grade Level (primary, middle, secondary)

· Subject Area

· Professional Development

Teaching Tolerance also produces a free magazine, published twice yearly (contents and highlights are listed at the web site).

B. Phi Delta Kappa International (PDK)

408 N. Union Street, P.O. Box 789

Bloomington, Indiana 47402-0789

(www.pdkintl.org)

This organization provides a variety of services and publications for educators, including two journals: Phi Delta Kappan and Edge, books, and monographs. Especially valuable for administrators and teachers is the collection of monographs, about 35-70 pages in length, designated as “Fastbacks,” ranging in price from $1.00-10.00. These “Fastbacks” explore a wide variety of educational issues, including diversity; indeed, the catalog includes several studies appropriate to diversity. The listing of titles along with abstracts on the web site is most helpful. “Fastbacks” most significant to diversity:

Aveline, David (2003). Name Calling Racial Joking, and Prejudice among Students.

Brown, Jessie (2001). Educating African-American Children.

Gold, Joshua M. et al. (1999). Middle School Climate: A Study of Attitudes.

Haynes, Charles C. (2001). Religious Liberty and the Public Schools.

Jacobsen, Wayne (2003). Disarming Conflict Through Common Ground Thinking.

Lamme, Linda Leonard and Laurel A. Lamme (2003). Welcoming Children from Sexual-Minority Families into Our Schools.

Prosise, Roger (2006). Improving Schools in Diverse Communities: A Case Study.

Shaikh, Munir A. (2005). What Teachers Need to Know about Islam.

Sicoli, Aldo (2000). Creating a School-Within-A-School.

Other potential titles can be accessed through PDK’s web site, then entering “Bookstore & Gift Shop” on the menu, which leads to another menu offering material by category, e.g. “Diversity” or by type, e.g “Fastbacks.”

PDK also has a Traveling Scholars Program, through which authors of Fastbacks offer presentations to educators. There is no cost for Traveling Scholars, but arrangements must be made through the local Chapter: Shenandoah Valley Virginia Chapter #1203, Harrisonburg, Virginia, President: Violet Allain, College of Education, Memorial Hall 7305F, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807, Telephone: (540) 568-6708, Email: allainvl@jmu.edu.

C. The National Education Association (NEA)

(www.nea.org)

This national organization provides a web site with valuable diversity resources. A user can search the site for “Diversity” or refine the search with a specific area of diversity, for example “Diversity: primary grades.” This site is not as extensive as Teaching Tolerance, but does contain valuable resources for teachers and administrators, both general in nature and designed for specific levels. For example, a link to “Religious Diversity” provides interdisciplinary activities combined with PBS TV programs; another link provides a “Diversity Calendar” that shows diverse religious holidays and special celebrations, such as “Hispanic Heritage Month.” Background articles on diversity in education are also available.

D. Teachers Against Prejudice (TAP)

58 Pine Street

New Canaan, Connecticut 06840

www.teachersagainstprejudice.org

This non-profit group dedicated to fighting intolerance and bigotry through education, provides a variety of resources for teachers on its web site: a list of recommended books, a list of recommended films (feature films and documentaries), and video guides for films. Resources are grouped according grade level: elementary, middle, and high school. There are modest costs for some resources and membership available for students ($10) and friends ($35.00)

E. Scholastic

http://teacher.scholastic.com/

This web site with valuable resources in diversity is not as extensive as Teaching Tolerance, but does provide valuable resources for teachers. Searching the site for Diversity yields several activities. A search can be refined further by grade level and subject area.

F. Educators for Social Responsibility (ESR)

www.esrnational.org/home.htm

This organization provides an extensive web site designed to help “educators create safe, caring, respectful, and productive learning environments.” Resources cover a wide range of areas with special focuses on conflict resolution, peacemaking, and the prevention of violence. This site offers activities for teachers at all levels and includes links valuable to administrators and counselors.

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Part II: Resources Across the Curriculum

A. Teaching Tolerance (Part I A): The web site, Teaching Tolerance, www.tolerance.org/teach provides a wealth of classroom activities, including materials for interdisciplinary approaches.

B. The PBS Teacher Source

www.pbs.org/teachersource/

This non-profit national broadcasting agency provides a most valuable web site for concepts across the curriculum. The link in this web site to “Concepts across the Curriculum” offers a schedule of broadcasts with cross-curricular interest for the current month. From there a link to the “Archives” provides additional features related to cross-curricular material. Archive headings include “Diversity and Achievement,” “Cultures and History,” “The Arts,” “Science and Health,” and “Family and Community.” Under each of these headings programs are listed with activities suggested for different grade levels (3-5, 6-8, 9-12) along with links to other online and printed resources. Specific programs, moreover, are often cross-listed among the categories; for example, a program on “American Identity” is cross-listed under “Diversity and Achievement,” “Cultures and History,” and “Family and Community.”

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Part III: Resources by Subject Areas

A. The best resources for the following areas:

· Standards of Learning Areas: English, Mathematics, Sciences, and Social Studies

· The Fine Arts: Communication and Media, Drama, Music, and Visual Arts

· Technical and Vocational Arts.

1. Teaching Tolerance (Part I A) www.tolerance.org/teach provides a wealth of classroom activities grouped by grade level and subject area; also an additional focus by the same groupings can be sought for specific topics, such as race, religion, and gender issues.

2. The PBS Teacher Source (Part II B) www.pbs.org/teachersource/ provides an excellent source of activities, based primarily on PBS broadcasts, but grouped by grade level and cross-listed according to subject.

3. Teachers against Prejudice (Part I D) www.teachersagainstprejudice.org also provides a wealth of Classroom Activities, especially centered on films, grouped by grade level.

B. Resources for World Languages (French, Latin, and Spanish)

These areas, since their study is based on the experience of other cultures, both ancient and modern, by their very nature foster cultural diversity. The following organizations, however, can offer a variety of materials for use by teachers of languages other than English and teachers of English as a Second Language.

1. The Virginia Department of Education

P. O. Box 2120

Richmond, Virginia 23128-2120

www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Instruction/Language/

This is the Foreign Language Page of the Department of Education. The link “Instructional Resources Teaching English, History and Social Science through Foreign Language” provides resources for teachers of all foreign languages, both ancient and modern, taught in Virginia. This site also provides resources for teachers of English as a Second Language.

2. Foreign Language Association of Virginia (FLAVA)

www.flavaweb.org/index.php

The web site of this professional organization can be helpful to teachers of foreign languages, both ancient and modern, taught in Virginia, although resources for classroom use are more limited than those provided by the Virginia Department of Education.

3. The American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL)

750 South Washington Street, Suite 210

Alexandria, Virginia 22314

Telephone: (703) 894-2900

www.actfl.org

The web site of this professional organization is valuable primarily for teachers of modern foreign languages.

4. Colorín Colorado

www.colorincolorado.org

This organization provides a variety of sources oriented toward teaching English as a Second Language, but also includes activities and materials of value to teachers of foreign languages

5. The American Classical League (ACL)

422 Wells Mills Drive

Miami University

Oxford, Ohio 45056

Telephone: (513) 529-7741

www.aclclassics.org

This organization provides a wealth of material at modest cost for Latin teachers. Although becoming a member of this organization is advised, it is not required. Membership includes a discount on all resources purchased from ACL.

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Part IV: Local Resources and Contacts

A. Libraries: Institutions of higher learning in the area carry numerous books on Diversity. All of them can be searched online.

1. The James Madison University Carrier Library

800 South Main Street

Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807

Telephone: (540) 568-6150

www.lib.jmu.edu

The following web site provides a variety of materials related to diversity at James Madison University’s Libraries: www.lib.jmu.edu/education/ReadingEducation/Genre.aspx.

The James Madison University Library also has an excellent collection of films on DVD and VHF. Significant Examples:

a. Alternatives to Violence, Niles Illinois: United Learning (1994) Videotape no. 6789-6790: a two part program on conflict resolution, negotiation, and mediation for educators (65 minutes).

b. Apples and Oranges, National Film Board of Canada; Montreal, Quebec: NFB (2003) Videotape no. 8419: a program designed to raise children’s awareness of the harmful effects of intolerant behavior, stereotyping, and bullying, through a discussion among elementary students and an educator, plus two animated short stories.

c. Beyond Hate, A production of International Cultural Programming, Inc. and Public Affairs Television, Inc., published by New York: Mystic Fire Video (1991) Videotape no. 4505: a chronicle by Bill Moyers of the impact of hate on victims, probed through the experiences of world leaders, gang leaders, and young people (90 minutes).

d. Game Over: Gender, Race & Violence inVideo Games, Media Education Foundation (2000) Videotape no. 6544: a documentary offering a dialogue about the violence of video games, primarily for students at least of high school age (41 minutes).

e. Sticks and Stones: Words That Hurt and How Young People Can Overcome Them, Montreal, Quebec: National Film Board of Canada (2001) videotape no. 8418: challenging descriptions by children ages 5-12 of how they feel when they hear put-downs of themselves or their families.

f. Teens Talk Straight, Princeton, New Jersey: Films for the Humanities & Sciences (1994) Videotape no. 3882: interviews of several young men about their lives as members of gangs, both as victims and perpetrators (28 minutes).

The following videos are located in the Educational Technology and Media Center in Memorial Hall (formerly Harrisonburg High School).

g. Preventing Violence, Heartland Media, Plainview, New York: The Bureau for At-Risk Youth (1997): ETMC 303.69Pre: basic strategies for avoiding and reducing violence (28 minutes with a Leader’s Guide).

h. Stepping up to Peace, Heartland Media, Plainview, New York: The Bureau for At-Risk Youth (1997) ETMC 303.61Ste: breaking the chain of violence through non-violent character traits: courage, compassion, tolerance, and respect—for grades 6-12 (27 minutes with a Leader’s Guide).

2. Eastern Mennonite University

Sadie A. Hartzler Library

1200 Park Road, Harrisonburg, Virginia 22802

Telephone: (540) 432-4175

www.emu/library/

3. Bridgewater College

Alexander Mack Memorial Library

402 East College Street, Bridgewater, Virginia

Telephone: (540) 828-5413

www.alex.bridgewater.edu.

B. Contacts at local universities

1. James Madison University

Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807

a. Claire A. Clemens

Associate Professor and Education Librarian

Carrier Library, Room 116

Telephone: (540) 568-6907

Educational Technology and Media Center (ETMC)

Memorial Hall, Room 7260F

Telephone: (540) 568-4010

Email: clemenca@jmu.edu.

b. Solange Lopes-Murphy

Associate Professor of Education

Memorial Hall 3130C

Telephone: (540) 568-2936

Email: lopesmsa@jmu.edu

Areas of specialization: Foreign Language Education, English as a Second Language, and Multiculturalism

c. Oris T. Griffin

Associate Professor of Education

Memorial Hall 7250B

Telephone: (540) 568-6453

Email: griffiot@jmu.edu

Areas of specialization: Multiculturalism, Diversity, and Leadership

d. Doris M. Martin

Professor of Education

President, Virginia Association for Diversity

Memorial Hall 3210

Telephone: (540) 568-6337

Email: martindm@jmu.edu

e. George Font

Instructor of Early, Elementary and Reading Education

Chair of the College of Education Diversity Council

Memorial Hall 7210E

Telephone: (540) 568-7335

Email: fontgx@jmu.edu.

f. Renee Staton

Associate Professor of Graduate Psychology

Johnston Hall 116

Telephone: (540) 568-7867

Email: statonar@jmu.edu

Areas of Specialization: Counseling and Multiculturalism

g. Carlos G. Aleman

Assistant Professor of Communication Studies

Harrison Hall 1271

Telephone: (540) 568-2309

Email: alemancg@jmu.edu

Areas of specialization: Media and Diversity

2. Eastern Mennonite University

Harrisonburg, Virginia 22802

Judy H. Mullet, Professor of Psychology and Education

1200 Park Road

Office: SC 18B

Telephone: (540) 432-4427

Email: mulletjh@emu.edu

Areas of Specialization: Educational Psychology, Conflict Resolution, and Restorative Justice

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Part V: Approaches to Discipline

A. Conflict Resolution

This is a process of resolving conflicts through mediation. The following book available at the James Madison University Library presents the basics of conflict resolutions and provides guidelines for applying this procedure: Kathryn L. Girard, Conflict Resolution in the Schools: A Manual for Educators, San Francisco: Jossey-Blass, 1996 (call number: LB3013.3 .G57 1996). A two-part video Alternatives to Violence (Part IV A 1 a) demonstrates how peer mediators can carry out this process. The web site of Educators for Social Responsibility (Part I F) www.esrnational.org/home.htm

also offers guidelines for conflict resolution. Mediators, either educators or fellow students, need training. Judy H. Mullett of Eastern Mennonite University can be contacted for information on mediation training (Part IV B 2) mulletjh@emu.edu.

B. Restorative Justice

This is a process designed to reduce harassment by reducing destructive behavior. Through restorative justice the perpetrator gains incite into the victim’s feelings while the victim gains respect and assurances of future security. Judy H. Mullett and Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz have published a valuable book on restorative justice: The Little Book of Restorative Discipline for Schools. As with Conflict Resolution, Judy H. Mullett of Eastern Mennonite University can be contacted about Restorative Justice (Part IV B 2) mulletjh@emu.edu.

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Part VI: Initiatives in the Rockingham County Public Schools

A. C.A.R.E. (Creating Awareness Regarding Equity)

This is an organization begun by Charlene Green, the Diversity Coordinator for the Albemarle County Schools. Participants include parents, members of the county school board, administrators, teachers, and students. The objective of C.A.R.E is to embrace “equity and diversity” in order to prepare students to enter “a global society equipped with skills and knowledge to be successful.” A students’ chapter of C.A.R.E. was established at Spotswood High School in 2004. Spotswood students in C.A.R.E have participated in several activities related to diversity both in school and out of school. The administrative coordinator of C.A.R.E. at Spotswood High School is Alicia Corral-Clark.

B. “Safe Place”

This is an initiative begun at Spotswood High School in 2006. The objective of “Safe Place” is to provide students with a safe environment in which to speak freely with a teacher without risk of embarrassment or harassment. “Safe Place” is available to all students, but can be particularly valuable to students who feel isolated from the school community or may be unfamiliar with the resources of the school. Participating teachers prominently display a “Safe Place” sign to inform students of this safe environment. Before participating in “Safe Place” a teacher undergoes a brief orientation session in which the coordinator presents the written guidelines and responds to questions raised by the teacher. (See the Appendix for a copy of the guidelines.) The current coordinator of “Safe Place” at Spotswood High School is Alicia Corral-Clark.

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Part VII: Challenges and Recommendations

A. Challenges

Diversity encourages a respect among all students, no matter what the individual characteristics they possess or what groups they belong to. Our country has traditionally prided itself on its ability to absorb differing groups, as illustrated in the motto e pluribus unum. On the other hand, new groups have often caused consternation in our social fabric and political system, yet these groups have added to the vitality of our society and provided a new generation of leaders. At the same time that the diversity of population in our country, and indeed our local community, has increased, traditional resentments about ethnicity, race, religion, and gender, have often become exacerbated. The children attending our schools, as a consequence, often face a threatening world, disturbed by the influence of a new group or resentful of the increasing status accorded to a formerly small group. Our challenge as educators is to assure that all students have the opportunity to succeed. This means, of course, ensuring each student’s safety, but it also means establishing an educational atmosphere that encourages a diversity of human perspective. Our system, which depends on participation of its constituents, can best be served by encouraging respectful human interaction, in which issues are explored, discussed, and resolved without the threat of harassment or violence. The challenge of diversity, however, is not just to counter destructive behavior but to prize individual differences that enrich society and the quality of life for all those who participate in that society.

B. Recommendations

As we consider the challenges of diversity in our schools and communities, we do well to encourage the vitality and general benefits that diversity offers. To assist educators in the Rockingham County Schools as they pursue the benefits of diversity is the primary objective of this Resource Guide. To strengthen continued efforts and to encourage further initiatives in diversity, I offer the following recommendations.

1. Encourage the use of materials provided through Teaching Tolerance by all educators in the Rockingham County Schools: administrators, counselors, and teachers; and have each school library subscribe to the free magazine published by this organization.

2. Establish Diversity Coordinators in the County Schools. Ideally this would begin with an administrative position designed to oversee and coordinate efforts in diversity throughout all of the schools in the county. At least, a Diversity Coordinator in every school, possibly as a teacher duty, with scheduling similar to a Department Head, would be extremely valuable. The Diversity Coordinator for a particular school would encourage educational activities fostering diversity, supervise diversity groups such as C.A.R.E. (see Part VI A), and oversee initiatives such as “Safe Place” (see Part VI B).

3. Seek greater involvement of parents in diversity initiatives. This can be done through the schools’ Parent Advisory Councils; however, stronger efforts should be made to have these advisory councils reflect the diversity of the school’s surrounding community. A countywide parents’ council reflective of the area’s diversity would also be valuable.

4. Strengthen the approach to school discipline through greater emphasis on conflict resolution and restorative justice. The current disciplinary practice of detention and suspension is certainly necessary, but a student who returns following detention or from suspension as a result of harassment or violence probably returns even more bitter than when he or she was detained or suspended. Conflict resolution allows students of diverse backgrounds in hostile situations to arrive at a respectful understanding of each other. Restorative justice offers a real possibility for a victim to recover respect and to feel safe in school, while a perpetrator can recognize appropriate respect for students of diverse background.

5. Revise this Resource Guide every three years.

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Appendix

Spotswood High School

“Safe Place”

Objective

The objective of “Safe Place” is to provide students with a safe environment in which to speak freely with a teacher without risk of embarrassment or harassment. Most teachers already provide such an environment, and consequently, “Safe Place” becomes an extension of their current practice. “Safe Place” then extends this environment in an official, openly publicized way so that students who feel threatened or harassed or who face a personal issue that affects their success in school have an additional resource to help them. Although “Safe Place” is available to all students, this service can be particularly valuable to younger students, who may be unfamiliar with the resources at Spotswood and more frequently feel isolated from the school community.

The Role of the “Safe Place” Teacher

Teachers participating in “Safe Place” are expected to be good listeners, not counselors. A “Safe Place” Teacher must respect individual differences, even when those differences are disturbing to the teacher. Although conversations between a “Safe Place” Teacher and a student are confidential, some issues that students raise demand that a teacher seek the advice of the Counseling Staff and report the issue to an administrator. Examples of such issues: drugs or alcohol, violence or threatened violence, verbal or physical harassment, weaponry, domestic abuse, suicidal feelings. “Safe Place” Teachers must clearly inform participating students that such issues demand further action and often place legal obligations on the teacher. Although a teacher is obligated to report such issues, the identity of the student participating in ‘Safe Place” must be carefully guarded. If a “Safe Place” Teacher has any doubts or even minor concerns about an issue raised by a student, that teacher should seek the advice of one of the school counselors or an administrator.

Spotswood High School Resources

Counseling Staff: Guidance Office

Secretary: Stephanie Dofflemyer

9th grade counselor: Jimmy Miller

Counselor A-G: Helen Harman

Counselor H-M: Pam Elmore

Counselor N-Z: Lynn Hooper Briggman

Additional Counseling Services

School Nurse: Deb Raines

Counseling Specialist: Hilary Bierly. Referrals to the Counseling Specialist should come through either the administration or the Guidance Counseling Staff; however, a “Safe Place” Teacher encountering an issue that demands immediate attention, can go directly to Ms. Bierly.

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