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Restorative-practices staff urge quick approval of stalled Help Zone contract
Summary
Two Ghani Institute Help Zone staff told the Rochester Board of Education Audit Committee they have paused services because a district contract was stalled and urged board approval so nearly 2,000 recorded Help Zone admissions and ongoing mediations can resume.
Spiro Michadillis, a 12-year Ghani Institute restorative-practices staffer, told the board the district’s Help Zone services at multiple Rochester City School District schools have been interrupted while a contract was stalled and asked the board to approve the contract this Thursday so services can resume.
Michadillis said Help Zones provide a nonpunitive space for students to de-escalate, reflect and receive social-emotional support. "From September to November 21...I've recorded almost 2,000 admittances to my help zone and facilitated just under 200 formal mediations," he said, adding that some mediations were between teachers and students and that the rooms can be ‘‘pressure release valves’’ that reduce fights and suspensions.
Jordan Campbell, another Ghani Institute staffer who runs a ninth-grade Help Zone, described similar outcomes and student development from the program, saying the Help Zone has helped more students stay in class and reduced incidents that would otherwise disrupt instruction. "As we are seeing more proactive work, we are noticing drops in suspensions," Campbell said, and offered examples of students who now facilitate peer mediations.
Neither speaker identified the specific contract terms that were stalled in detail at the meeting; both asked the board to prioritize approval so services and professional-development activities can resume. The board did not engage in a substantive discussion during the speakers forum; public comment concluded before the audit committee agenda items began.
The Audit Committee did not take an immediate formal action on the contract during this meeting; the speakers indicated they expect the contract decision on the board’s upcoming consent agenda.
