Glover Middle School gets $150,000 grant aimed at rethinking discipline

Glover Middle School received a $150,000 three-year grant Thursday aimed at providing restorative practices training for staff, while also providing support for students suffering from trauma.

The organization College Spark funded the grant, according to a district news release.

“We are excited to partner with College Spark and Sound Discipline around this powerful work to support student success,” said Glover Principal Kim Halcro in the release. “We believe education is the most important factor in guiding the future for our students, and as a result of this grant, we will address barriers many of our students face and ultimately improve persistence and success rates for our students.”

The school will use the money to partner with Sound Discipline – a Washington-based organization that trains school staff on trauma-informed methods of discipline while simultaneously trying to help students feel more connected to their schools, according to the release.

In the last several years Spokane Public Schools has revamped how it handles student discipline. That change comes, in part, after a new state law limited long-term suspension and expulsion to serious behaviors.

Those changes have led to drastic reductions in suspensions and arrests. However, there is concern among some teachers and within the Spokane Education Association that the changes make classrooms less safe for students and teachers.

College Spark supports programs aimed at helping low-income students prepare for college throughout Washington.