Avoiding Expulsions, Dolton 149 Rolls Out New “Chat Room” at Carol Moseley Braun Elementary to Address Conflict Resolution

(Calumet City, IL) – When the 354 students of the south suburban Carol Moseley Braun Elementary School go back to school in a couple of weeks, a new “chat room” for conflict resolution will be ready for them.

In response to a new State of Illinois law that eliminates automatic “zero tolerance” suspensions and expulsions at local schools and that requires other measures be taken by schools before expelling or suspending students, Dolton School District 149 has been creating uniquely designed conflict resolution rooms at its various schools that provide a “calming environment” to settle disputes and return kids to the classroom.

The “chat room” at Carol Moseley Braun, located in Calumet City, is the district’s newest conflict resolution space to come on line for the 2017-2018 school year.

“The new ‘chat room’ at Carol Moseley Braun provides social workers the opportunity to help students settle their disagreements by talking through their disputes in a place that is a calming environment with soft lightening and cheerful colors,” said Dolton 149 Superintendent Dr. Shelly Davis-Jones. “This process, which minimizes school suspensions, aims to return students to class as soon as possible.”

Dr. Davis-Jones also credits Carol Moseley Braun students with planning the space.

“And our kids had a role in the ‘chat room’ design, working with the artist,” said Dr. Davis-Jones.

The new law, Senate Bill 100, approved by Governor Bruce Rauner in August 2015 and which entered into force in September 2016, permits, among other things, suspensions of more than three days only in circumstances where a direct threat to the school has been made and other discipline, counseling, and after-school programs have failed.

Prior to Rauner’s signature on the legislation, “zero tolerance” policies had begun to fall out favor with educators and Illinois school suspension had already begun to drop.

The 2015 school year saw more than 296,400 student suspensions, a decrease from approximately 340,000 in 2014. Additionally, suspensions of 10 days or more fell nearly 50%. There were 650 in 2015 compared to 1,200 in 2014.

For Carol Moseley Braun and the district’s other conflict resolution programs, key staff received specialized training and students helped design the newest space.

“District principals, assistant principals, several social workers, some teachers, and district central office cabinet members completed the conflict resolution training with Loyola University at the Regional Illinois Service Center (ISC4) on June 10, 2016,” said Dr. Davis-Jones.

In collaboration with Dolton 149, the Chicago-based Luv, Unity, and Values Institute produced a virtual tour video of the new the school’s new “chat room,” which can be viewed here: "video tour" on Dolton 149's Facebook Page.

In addition to its new “chat room” space, Dolton 149 had already created a “peace room” and a “restorative justice room” at its other school buildings as part of a new, comprehensive discipline strategy.

“We have developed a new system-wide discipline plan, which is to keep kids in school, and our conflict resolution rooms are a key piece of the plan,” said Dr. Davis-Jones. “As a result, we have minimized suspensions. We have had a paradigm shift.”

Dr. Davis-Jones also noted that the new Carol Mosely Braun ‘chat room’ will also be a space available for teaching staff.

“Sometimes teachers need to deescalate, too,” she said.

davidormsby@davidormsby.com