Morningside Center Deputy Executive Director Tala Manassah was recently invited by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's office to join the administration's Leadership Team on School Climate and Discipline.
The team's goal is two-fold:
- assess the effectiveness of current efforts to improve school climate and maintain orderly schools, while reducing reliance on suspensions
- offer recommendations to improve system-wide implementation of positive discipline, and to further align the school discipline code with a restorative approach.
Tala is leading Morningside Center's collaboration with the Department of Education to bring restorative practices to schools across the city.
I'm honored to serve on this task force, and deeply supportive of the high-level priority the Mayor and Chancellor have placed on this issue," says Tala. "Morningside Center has been leading the charge in school-based implementation of restorative practices in NYC, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to the conversation about how we can make our schools more equitable and joyful for all of our children.