A new school year, a new policy. District administrators recently made changes to the In School Suspension (ISS) policies regarding student work, behavior, and character reflection. This is the first school year to be affected by the change.

The Rockwood Handbook concerning ISS and credit says:

“Absences resulting from in-school or out-of-school suspension are not recorded as an absence. All academic work resulting from the first suspension can be completed for full credit. On subsequent suspensions, only exams and major project work can be submitted for credit.”

How assignments are completed isn’t the only new factor. Rather than solely focusing on academics, the ISS curriculum hopes to address one’s character.

Matt Steffens, who supervises ISS, said, “We instituted a new program called Restorative Justice, and the idea behind Restorative Justice is taking a wrong that was done to a person and getting to the bottom of what that wrong was. We address it with the individual and try to make it right.”

Students in ISS are given a set of reflection and repair questions, which allows the student to think about what went wrong and who was affected and how they were affected.

Steffens said the program is doing really well, and students are accepting it.

The change was instituted over the summer prior to this current school year.

“Dr. (John) Shaughnessy met with some other schools that are doing that, and Dr. (Karen) Calcaterra conducted a book study with a number of other teacher across the district, and we had some training with a group called the IIRP, which focuses on Restorative Justice programs across the country,” Steffens said.

The change will be kept throughout the school year.