SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER DR. STEVE GALLON III TO PROFFER BOARD ITEM H-16 DISCIPLINE, DIVERSION, AND YOUTH VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAMS

At the School Board meeting of March 13, 2019, District 1 School Board Member Dr. Steve Gallon III will proffer Board item H-16, Discipline, Diversion, and Youth Violence Prevention Programs. The item was co-sponsored by Ms. Perla Tabares Hantman, Chair, Dr. Martin Karp, Vice Chair, Dr. Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall, Ms. Susie V. Castillo, Dr. Lawrence S. Feldman, and Ms. Maria Teresa Rojas at the committee meeting of March 6, 2019.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) is committed to ensuring the safety and security of its schools, employees, community members, and most important, its students. This has been and must always remain a priority of the School Board and the District. Tangential to this effort, is the development, implementation, and monitoring of district and school-based discipline and/or diversion programs, as well as supporting community wide efforts and programs to stem and end the tide of youth gun violence overall—a phenomenon that has taken the lives of countless youth in Miami-Dade County over the past decade. Research shows that there is a nexus between discipline, diversion, and gun violence among youth, specifically those in communities of poverty and communities of color.

Inasmuch as the District has adopted and implemented discipline and diversion programs, in light of the recent findings and recommendations of the Commission’s Initial Report, as well as the Governor’s Executive Order, a review of such programs at this time would be prudent. In conjunction with this review, a review of initiatives, programs, and partnerships designed to stem and end the tide of youth gun violence among students in Miami-Dade County should also be conducted.

This item seeks to direct the Superintendent to conduct a review of school based and/or district-wide discipline and diversion programs to determine impact as it relates to school and public safety, efficacy, and alignment with School Board Policy and State Statues, and provide a list of programs by name, inclusive of partners, where applicable, and summary inclusive of description, purpose, and population to the School Board regarding same. It also seeks to direct the Superintendent to explore the development and/or expansion of any intervention programs and/or partnerships that address stemming the tide of school and community violence among school-aged youth in the urban core.

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