Chattanoogans in Action for Love, Equality and Benevolence invites the public to a set of school board candidate forums June 21 and 23 where participants will be discussing issues related to infrastructure, the county’s equity plan and disciplinary policy.
To ensure a meaningful conversation organizers ask the following from school board members, candidates, and the Hamilton County community: all school board candidates participate in CALEB’s candidate forums in June; community engagement in forums; and community engagement in school board and other local elections.
CALEB’s primary focus in education has been the disruption of the “School-to-Prison Pipeline,” school discipline policies and practices that remove students from learning opportunities and push students out of school and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems. To that end, CALEB has sponsored its first year of implementation of restorative practices at Orchard Knob Elementary School with support from Southern Adventist University’s Psychology Department, successfully leading to a 50 percent reduction in suspensions. It looks to expand in the upcoming school year with additional community partners.
As a Hamilton County resident-run membership organization, CALEB is excited to hear what school board candidates plan to accomplish while on the school board.
For more information on the restorative practices implementation at Orchard Knob Elementary, visit www.calebcha.org/restore.