Page 20 - NC Triangle Vol 6 No 5

Reducing The ‘School to Prison’ Pipeline
Arvetra Jones (center) leads an exercise at Rebound.
By Bob Friedman
“When kids come to us we have an op- portunity to connect with youth and get to the bottom of what’s going on and provide them with additional resources in the com- munity such as referrals to mental health or substance abuse treatment, literacy sup- port, vocational or youth employment pro- grams, pregnancy and STD/HIV services, con ict resolution, gang awareness, anger management, etc.,” said Friedman.
“Rebound provides a safe supportive en- vironment for kids instead of potentially being at home because they are continuing their studies and staying academically on course,” said Maris.
Rebound operates at the Durham Teen Center and the Boys and Girls Club of Durham. It has a sta of six full-time and one part-time employees. e program is funded by federal grants, school funding, and private donations.
Rebound can provide services for up to 30 kids at a time. During the 2017-2018 school year, roughly 375 students partici- pated in the program. Students are referred to the program by assistant principals or social workers. ey are required to have parental permission to take part.
Rebound counselors monitor the prog- ress of kids at Northern, Jordan and South- ern high schools who were in Rebound for ve to 10 days when they go back to school. “ is is a new component of the program piloted by funding from the Governor’s Crime Commission. We want to continue to ensure youth receive the support they need. We’re touching base at school trying to make sure that the student doesn’t get suspended again,” said Friedman.
ENROLLMENT HAS INCREASED
“We see a lot of our 16 and 17-year-olds in the Durham County jails with severe charges such as armed robbery,” said District Court Judge Shamieka Rhinehart who is a member of Rebound’s board. “I truly believe in pro- grams like Rebound which prioritizes the importanceofeducationandkeepsthemoc- cupied because o en that’s the root of why they are in that situation in the beginning.”
Who likes pizza?”
asked Arvetra Jones, director of student en- gagement and a fam- ily life coach with Durham-based Re- bound. Only a few of the dozen or so high school students enrolled in the Rebound program at the Durham Teen Center raised their hands. “ is was an exercise to urge the kids to be more out-
going and participative,” explained Jones. Rebound is a nonpro t, voluntary pro- gram for high school students in Durham who have been suspended for between one and 10 days. Attending Rebound dur- ing school hours lls in the gaps between suspension and the streets. “Rebound ex- panded the program this year to include in-school services and new approaches to disciplinary issues, deepening their in- volvement in con ict-resolution and re- storative justice practices for students, with the ultimate goal of avoiding suspensions altogether,” said Rebound Executive Direc-
tor Mike Friedman.
In 2013 when Rebound was launched,
5,235 students had received short-term suspensions from Durham Public Schools, an average of 29 students per day. Students are suspended for disruptive behavior, ghting, substance use, truancy, con ict with school sta or peers, and other viola- tions of school policy.
“Short-term suspensions can be an in- dication that adolescents are coping with chronic stress caused by poverty, family or peer con ict, mental health issues, trauma, substance abuse, low self-esteem, low liter- acy or educational attainment, criminal or gang involvement, and more,” said Fried- man.
“We know that suspensions and disci- pline problems in the school are o en the genesis of behavior that can land a youth in our criminal justice system and that’s exactly what we don’t want,” said District Court Judge Amanda Maris, a member of Rebound’s board of directors. “We have to start looking at what may be causing or contributing to perceived behavioral is- sues, including an adult’s failure to properly identify a child in need and o er them the appropriate support before our children are responded to punitively and enter the justice system. Only then will we be able to stop the school-to-prison pipeline.”
STAYING CURRENT ON SCHOOL WORK
“When the kids are in Rebound, it’s not considered a suspension. For every day they are here, it’s an in-school activity, so it’s not on their record,” explained Fried- man. “ is is a voluntary program. ey could just as easily stay home. ey come here, so that’s a success.”
A major component of the program is that a teacher from the public schools works with each child to keep them current on what’s being taught in the classes they are missing at school. “So, when they go back to school, they really haven’t missed tendays.IfIhadmissed10daysofalgebra, I never would have graduated,” said Fried- man.