Virtual Conference, October 8th, 2021, with Dr. Ross Greene, of Portland, ME. Free. Join in on a day devoted to the Keeping All Students Safe Act (KASSA).
* The Fall 2021 Lives in the Balance Children’s Mental Health Conference is focused solely on two issues
- Corporal punishment and the use of restraint and seclusion in schools
- Two pending federal bills related to these issues: the Keeping All Students Safe Act (KASSA) and the Protecting Our Students in Schools Act.
Topics will include:
• Research related to the harm done by restraint, seclusion, and corporal punishment
• First-hand accounts of the people who have experienced these practices
• Alternative methods for managing behaviors and keeping classrooms safe
• How to advocate for these bills
Comments will be provided by Senator Chris Murphy & Representative A. Donald McEachin.
Speakers include:
Dr. Liz Gershoff, Dr. Stacey Patton, Dr. Ross Greene, Kenneth Polishchuk, Denise Marshall, and Guy Stephens.
To register or for more information visit www.eventbrite.com/e/2021-lives-in-the-balance-childrens-mental-health-conference-registration-162671780675 or contact (207) 210-6589
TOPICS
- Brief Look at Race and Corporal Punishment in Schools:
Dr. Stacey Patton
Dr. Patton will discuss the history of the paddle, its early usage on
American slave plantations, and how it made its way into schools as a
form of punishment. She will also discuss how paddling coexists with
and reinforces “zero-tolerance” and “no excuses” disciplinary policies in
large, high-poverty school districts. - What Research Tells Us about the Harms Linked to School Corporal
Punishment: Dr. Liz Gershoff
Corporal punishment is still used in schools in 19 states, despite
evidence that it is ineffective and potentially harmful to children. In this
presentation, Dr. Gershoff will summarize the research on the harms to
children’s physical, cognitive, and emotional development associated
with corporal punishment, as well as research on the disparate use of
school corporal punishment with boys, Black students, and students with
disabilities. - Alternatives to restraint, seclusion, and other punitive, exclusionary
disciplinary practices: Dr. Ross Greene
Dr. Greene will describe the Collaborative & Proactive Solutions model,
an evidence-based intervention that has produced dramatic reductions in
detentions, suspensions, restraint, and seclusion in schools and
elimination of restraint and seclusion in prisons, residential facilities, and
inpatient psychiatry units. - Description of the Keeping All Students Safe Act:
Senator Chris Murphy and Denise Marshall
Denise will share a brief history of efforts to pass federal legislation,
debunk myths and share facts, and provide an overview of the
components of the bicameral federal bill’s provisions. - Using Grassroots Advocacy to End Corporal Punishment and
Seclusion and Restraint in School: Kenneth Polishchuk
In this session, participants will receive information on the value of
grassroots advocacy to advancing legislation. This will include training on
advocating with policymakers, as well as strategies and best practices on
how to make the most impact. - Religiously Sanctioned Corporal Punishment on Reservations,
Plantations, and Concentration Camps:
The Rev. Darrell L. Armstrong,
The colonization of The Americas by European powers often resulted in
the displacement of Black, Brown, Beige, Indigenous, and other People
of Color onto reservations, plantations, and the equivalent of
concentration camps. This presentation will examine this history and the
generational trauma that now plagues many communities of color
throughout the United States of America and its territories. - Spare the Rod, Save the Child: Corporal Punishment in Holmes
County, Mississippi: Ellen Reddy
In 2012, youth organizers of the Nollie Jenkins Family Center (NJFC)
embarked upon a Participatory Action Research (PAR) project to
address the increasing amount of violence occurring in Holmes County,
Mississippi. Using pencils and journals to document incidences of
violence in homes, schools, and the community, our young people found
that violence touched everyone, regardless of gender or age, and arose
from several points of conflict. - What are restraint and seclusion and what harm do they cause:
Guy Stevens
Physical restraint is a personal restriction that immobilizes or reduces the
ability of a student to move his or her torso, arms, legs, or head freely.
Seclusion is the involuntary confinement of a student alone in a room or
area from which the student is physically prevented from leaving.
Restraint and seclusion are aversive interventions often used by school
personnel in crisis situations to manage behaviors of concern. - Description of the Protecting Our Students in Schools Act:
Congressman A. Donald McEachin and congressional aide Blair
Wriston - Lunch time screening of segments of Lives in the Balance
documentary film The Kids We Lose
Call to Action: How To Get Involved
