The Escambia County (FL) School District Pilot Project  Breaking Florida's School-to-Jail Pipeline: Alternative Approaches to Student Discipline and Punishment Low graduation rates and a rising incarceration rate in Florida have led to calls for alternatives to the harsh punishments and criminalization of student misbehavior often practiced by school districts. One alternative being practiced by the Escambia County School District offers a non-traditional way in dealing with day-to-day rule violations and disruptive behavior in schools. The Escambia County Alternatives to Zero-tolerance Program engages students, victims, the wider school community and the neighborhood in repairing the harm caused by an offense. Students who break the rules and disrupt the educational process are given a chance to avoid suspension or expulsion by entering the program. Educators and community members received training in restorative justice practices and in the proper ways to implement the Escambia County Alternatives to Zero-tolerance Program. A student's acceptance of responsibility is a cornerstone of the program. He or she appears before a trained board that reviews the incident and decides on sanctions. School Accountability Boards (SABs) involve the students, their parents or guardians, victims and others affected by the incident, along with representatives from the community and the school. SAB meetings allow the victims and the school community to address the harmful behavior and participate in defining the repair necessary to right the wrong. Students pledge to address the impact of their actions on those directly and indirectly involved. For instance, a child who defaces school property with graffiti may be required to remove it and participate in school beautification tasks. The program avoids criminalizing student misbehavior and keeps kids from entering the criminal justice system while making certain they understand the consequences of their actions. Funding for this innovative program is provided by the Florida Bar Foundation. The Collins Center for Public Policy provides administration and oversight. In 2009, the Collins Center sought proposals from school districts across the state for programs that break the "school-to-jail pipeline” that routs students into the juvenile justice system for relatively minor infractions. Escambia County's school district proposed the SAB model and won a three-year grant from the Bar Foundation. The program follows restorative justice models that repair the harm and rebuild relationships. It links schools to the surrounding communities, extending important services to students and their families beyond the school day. Escambia County Schools Superintendent Malcolm Thomas is committed to keeping students in school when they get into trouble, rather than removing them from the academic environment through suspensions or expulsions. He said out-of-school suspensions disrupt a student's education and causes problems for working parents. He hopes to incorporate the program into every school in the district, and make it an integral part of disciplinary policies after the grant runs out. For now, the Escambia program is in place at five of the district's nine middle schools. Statistics show the district issued out-of-school suspensions to roughly a quarter of the 10,500 middle school students in recent years, and expelled dozens more. Dale Landry, CEO, Village Architects Inc., trains Escambia County educators and community members in restorative justice practices. Students facing suspension at the five schools where SABs have been put in place are now diverted to the alternative disciplinary program. School officials explain the program to the students and their parents and give them the opportunity to avoid suspension by participating. Once a student commits to the program, the SAB is convened and the board members, the parents, the students, and the victims reach a joint decision as to how the student can repair the harm caused by the offense. A student behavior contract is written, recording the sanctions agreed upon and a time frame (typically 90 days) for completing any tasks associated with the sanctions. The student, the parents, and school and community representatives on the SAB sign the contract. Weekly supervision of the student is scheduled. If the contract is fulfilled, the student is not suspended and no suspension is recorded in his or her academic record. Students who commit serious crimes on campus that endanger safety or involve illegal drugs are not eligible for the alternative discipline program and will be referred to law enforcement. A typical alternative discipline case played out one afternoon at Bellview Middle School after two eighth-grade boys scuffled in a class being taught by a substitute teacher. One put the other in a headlock, disrupting the class. Neither student had been in trouble before. The boys' parents agreed to try the alternative discipline program and a SAB convened. Sitting before school representatives and their mothers, the students explained what happened. They said they recognized the harm caused to their classmates and their mothers. They apologized to their mothers and to each other. The boys agreed to write a letter of apology to the substitute teacher, and to draft a letter from Bellview's student body that will offer a warm welcome to all substitute teachers at the beginning of each day. After the SAB meeting, the boys expressed regret for their actions and said their shared experience had forged a friendship. For one boy, a suspension would probably have dashed any chance for admittance to a highly competitive vocational school he hopes to attend next year. Successfully completing the alternative discipline program will keep those hopes alive. As part of his sanctions, he agreed to write a letter to the vocational school's administrators explaining his actions and the steps he is taking to repair the harm. Both mothers said they were thankful for the second chance the program provided, and pleased to be involved in the decision about how to repair the harm. The significance of the program far exceeds the boundaries of Escambia County. In June 2009, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist signed Senate Bill 1540 into law, narrowing the range of offenses schools could report to police under the state's "zero-tolerance” school safety statute. The measure is meant to reduce the number of school referrals that result in students entering the criminal justice system, feeding what has become known as the "school-to-jail pipeline.” The law means schools must find alternative approaches to handling student misconduct. Many districts are at a loss in how to comply with the new law. Superintendent Thomas hopes the Escambia County initiative can be a model for other districts. Escambia County Schools Superintendent Malcolm Thomas discusses the Alternatives to Zero-tolerance program with officials from the The Florida Bar Foundation and members of the Collins Center for Public Policy. The Collins Center is working closely with Escambia school district officials to document and evaluate the progress of its Alternatives to Zero-tolerance program.