Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission
Quarterly Newsletter
October 2019
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Restorative Justice Peace Circles at
McKinley Steam Academy
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To respond to student misbehavior, suspending the student is one disciplinary measure often used. However, there is evidence showing suspensions decrease the academic achievement of suspended students[1] and evidence of a "school-to-prison pipeline" among students of color and students with disabilities.[2] There is also research showing schools who implement restorative practices issue fewer disciplinary referrals for Latinx and African-American students compared with schools who rarely use restorative practices.[3]
There is a reemergence in the usage of restorative justice practices, which focuses on discussion and conflict resolution, rather than punishment. Restorative justice has indigenous roots; indigenous people have used restorative practices successfully in their communities for generations.
Stefanie Munsterman-Scriven, of the Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission, and Judy Goldberg, of Kids First Law Center, completed Restorative Justice Peace Circle Facilitation training and currently lead circles at the McKinley Steam Academy. By bringing those who are affected by the misbehavior together to discuss concerns, restorative justice circles help repair harm and mend relationships.
[1] Johanna Lacoe, Matthew P. Steinberg (2018) A meta-analysis of 25 studies examining the relationship between suspensions and academic achievement. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Do Suspensions Affect Student Outcomes?
[2] Johanna Wald; Daniel F. Losen (2003) Defining and Redirecting a School-to-Prison Pipeline, New Directions for Youth Development
[3] Anne Gregory, Kathleen Clawson, Alycia Davis & Jennifer Gerewitz (2016) The Promise of Restorative Practices to Transform Teacher-Student Relationships and Achieve Equity in School Discipline, Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation
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The circle participants have the power to determine the outcome and the student who was the source of the harm must take specific actions to address the consequences of their behavior. During the circle, the person who caused harm is asked these restorative questions:
- "What happened?"
- "What were you thinking about at the time?"
- "What have you thought about since?"
- "Who has been affected by what you have done?"
- "What do you think you need to do to make things right?"
Then, the person who was harmed is asked these restorative questions:
- "What did you think when you realized what happened?"
- "What impact has the incident had on you and others?"
- "What has been the hardest thing for you?"
- "What do you think needs to happen to make things right?"
When an agreement is reached, a simple contract is written, signed, and shared with circle participants and school staff. The circle facilitator will check-in with the participants regularly to ensure the agreement is being followed and determine if there is need for additional intervention. Since the beginning of this school year, approximately 100 restorative justice circles have been successfully completed.
Bolstering the conflict resolution skills of our youth and reducing punitive responses are fundamental to achieving equity and strengthening our community. The Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission is excited to be involved in this important work.
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Protecting Places of Worship
On October 22, the Commission partnered with the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa and the Inter-Religious Council of Linn County to host a presentation on Protecting Places of Worship. The event was held at the Cedar Rapids Public Library and approximately 150 people were in attendance, with several attendees from outside of Linn County. The event included expert presentations from federal and local criminal justice and law enforcement authorities on hate crimes, data and trends, active shooter response, and physical security best practices. The event concluded with two panels, one of local law enforcement experts to answer questions about local response and resources and the other panel included representatives of local faith groups who shared their experiences.
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Investigator Bernie Walther and Intake Specialist Alicia Abernathey at Festival Latino
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Outreach Events
July - October 2019
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Commissioners and staff participated in several outreach events from late July to October 2019, including ADA Celebration, I Am Walk, Intercultural Festival, Veterans Stand Down, NAACP Freedom Fund, Festival Latino, and the History Makers Gala. Check out the photos below!
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Acting Executive Director Janet Abejo-Parker at the ADA Celebration
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Commissioners Esaie Toingar and Salma Igram at Intercultural Festival
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"National Disability Employment Awareness Month" Proclamation
Cedar Rapids Councilmember Scott Olson presented a "National Disability Employment Awareness" proclamation the Commission, and other community organizations, at a City Council meeting on October 8, 2019 designating October 2019 as National Disability Employment Awareness Month.
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Staff
Janet Abejo-Parker
Acting Executive Director/Senior Investigator
Bernie Walther
Investigator
Stefanie Munsterman-Scriven
Investigator
Alicia Abernathey
Administrative Assistant/Intake Specialist
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Commissioners
Anthony Arrington
Leland Freie
Salma Igram
Keith Rippy
Esaie Toingar
Linda Topinka
Dr. Ruth White
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Civil Rights Commission Meetings
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Commission Meetings are open to the public and occur the third Wednesday of each month at 5:30 PM, with the exception of the December meetings which takes place on the second Wednesday of the month.
Upcoming Meeting Schedule:
- November 20, 2019
- December 11, 2019
- January 15, 2020
- February 19, 2020
- March 18, 2020
All meetings are held at the Veterans Memorial Building, 50 2nd Avenue Bridge, on the 4th floor. Agendas and minutes can be found on our website (
www.cedar-rapids.org/civilrights
).
Any person with a visual impairment or who is deaf or hard of hearing and in need of assistance to participate in any of the meetings should contact Civil Rights at (319) 286-5036 or
[email protected]
at least 48 hours prior to the meeting.
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It is unlawful to discriminate in the areas of
Employment, Education, Public Accommodations, Credit,
and
Housing
.
Complaints of unlawful discriminatory treatment must be based on a person's
Age, Color, Creed, Mental or Physical Disability, Familial Status, Gender Identity, Marital Status, National Origin, Race, Religion, Sex (gender), or Sexual Orientation
. These categories are called protected class characteristics. It is also unlawful to retaliate against a person because such person has lawfully opposed any discriminatory practice.
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