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Holy Family Institute urges Sto‑Rox to consider restorative specialized placements for high‑needs students
Summary
Dr. Carrie Potter Murray of Holy Family Institute presented a restorative 'specialized learning' placement model for high‑needs students, citing a 40% reduction in repeat suspensions and reporting 18 successful transitions back to districts last year; the board heard details but took no formal action.
Dr. Carrie Potter Murray, vice president of Inclusive Education Services at Holy Family Institute, told the Sto‑Rox board the agency’s specialized‑learning placements use restorative practices that prioritize accountability, repair and teaching rather than isolation and punishment. "When private placement schools operate like ours, here's what the outcomes look like," she said, adding that programs have shown a 40% reduction in repeat suspensions within the first year and improved attendance and graduation outcomes.
Potter Murray described a tiered model: Tier 1 focuses on daily social‑emotional learning and restorative practice instruction; Tier 2 adds group counseling and targeted supports; Tier 3 offers individualized supports, including one‑to‑one counseling and goal planning. She said the average length of stay in the program is about 140 days and reported that Holy Family transitioned 18 students back to their home districts last year.
In response to board questions, presenters clarified staffing and training: restorative‑practices training is led by Whitney Boston (a licensed professional counselor) with an intensive staff‑training schedule that includes daily training in the week before students return and 45 minutes of staff support time at the end of each school day. Potter Murray said classrooms in Tier 1 and Tier 2 are capped at 12 students and Tier 3 at 6, with a typical staff‑to‑student ratio of 1:6.
Board members asked cost and placement questions during the exchange; presenters said intake includes family and district interviews, tours and a needs assessment that assigns students to tiers. The presentation was informational; the transcript records no motion to adopt placements or contracts at the meeting.
What’s next: presenters left materials and answered questions; administrators and special‑education staff will continue evaluating placement options and contract implications for Sto‑Rox students.
