Medford Schools Awarded Competitive Hate Crime Prevention Grant

MEDFORD, MA — The Medford Public Schools was awarded the maximum amount of funding under the state's competitive Hate Crime Prevention grant program.

Medford received $50,000, Assistant Superintendent Peter Cushing told the school committee on Monday, which will be used in part to fund a restorative justice pilot that is already in place at the Andrews Middle School.

The district will allot $23,000 to fund that program, and has allocated $12,000 toward a training for educators. The remaining $15,000 will fund contracted services for surveys to help the district "better understand culture and climate," Cushing said.

At Monday's meeting, Cushing discussed some changes to the district's approach to discipline. Last March, administrators took part in a seminar about conducting disciplinary investigations, primarily pertaining to bullying and harassment.

This seminar covered interview methods, understanding and following through on processes and maintaining confidentiality, Cushing said.

The Responsive Classroom method, an approach that emphasizes social development along with academic achievements, has been expanded to all elementary schools, and the district implemented a training module that helps teachers understand and address unconscious biases, Cushing said.

The district plans to expand its restorative justice pilot to the McGlynn Middle School and Medford High School. When asked by school committee member Jenny Graham why Andrews, where the pilot is ongoing, had the most suspensions, Cushing said the cases pertained to violence or hate speech.

"I don't necessarily know if there's a corollary there, or the incidents simply warranted that level of student discipline," he said.

The restorative justice component would come in as the student returns to school, Cushing added.

The school committee voted to have the Rules, Policy and Equity subcommittee meet to discuss the framework of the restorative justice pilot, what outcomes can be expected and what resources the district needs to conduct the pilot.