About a year ago, Aurora Public Schools noticed a problem. Several of the district's schools reported high numbers of students being suspended. That's when the school district decided to make a change. In partnership with The Denver Foundation, it launched a district wide initiative modeled on the idea of restorative justice to encourage students and teachers to talk through conflicts rather than focus on punishment. It's been dubbed "Common Sense Discipline."
Many teachers say it's a good idea, but there are still kinks to work out. The initiative will come to a new Denver Public Schools charter school called Compass Academy in the fall.
Aurora Public Schools superintendent Rico Munn spoke with Colorado Matters host Ryan Warner about the lessons he's learned from this first year of the program and what's ahead.
