**Closing Remarks and Meeting Adjournment**

**April 9, 2014**

**U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs**

**810 Seventh Street NW, Washington, DC 20531**

**11:00 am – 12:30 pm**

**ABSTRACT**

The April 9, 2014, quarterly meeting of the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (Council) focused on the Supportive School Discipline Initiative (SSDI) and the status of related efforts.  Jointly launched by the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education, in conjunction with other federal agencies and the philanthropic, non-profit, and advocacy community, SSDI is a collaborative effort to change punitive school disciplinary policies and practices.

Karol Mason, Assistant Attorney General of the United States, greeted attendees and communicated her support for addressing the link between school disciplinary policies and youth contact with the juvenile justice system.  Boys of color are overrepresented in the justice system and need advocates to push for policies and practices that keep them accountable while providing the support they need to reach their full potential.  The recent announcement by Associate Attorney General Tony West of another major program under the umbrella of the President’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative – the National Center for Building Community Trust and Justice with a mission to address race and fairness in the justice system – reinforces the Administration’s focus on addressing systemic disparities. 

Tony West, Associate Attorney General of the United States, expressed his gratitude for the privilege of championing these issues in a progressive administration that is committed to investing in young people.  After providing a brief synopsis of SSDI, he described the significance of the 2011-12 Civil Rights Data Collection which documents racial disparities in school disciplinary policies and practices.  Mr. West reminded everyone of the historical anniversaries of *Brown v. the Board of Education* (60th) and The Civil Rights Act (50th).

Robert Listenbee, Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), DOJ, and Council Vice-Chair, thanked Associate Attorney General West.  He indicated a report is due this spring that will provide comprehensive strategies to minimize suspensions, expulsions, and arrests while maintaining safe school climates.  Mr. Listenbee introduced a distinguished panel of lawyers, researchers, practitioners, parents, and advocates.  They discussed data collections, research on disparities, and judicially-led efforts to fight devastating trends of ever-increasing school suspensions, expulsions, and arrests, which have been disproportionally applied to youth of color.  The panel conveyed an overarching theme: disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline requires that policy makers and on-the-ground practitioners managing these disciplinary challenges have the necessary tools and understand the holistic implications—across school, mental health, and justice systems—of the life-altering decisions they make on behalf of youth.  The chilling reality is that ONE referral for suspension or expulsion could result in a youth’s ongoing struggles within the justice system.

**Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention**

**Quarterly Meeting**

**Welcome, Opening Remarks, and Introductions**

11

*Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention*

*Quarterly Meeting – April 9, 2014*

**Kathi Grasso,***Director, Concentration of Federal Efforts Program, OJJDP, DOJ; Council’s Designated Federal Official*, opened with a number of housekeeping reminders and welcomed Council members, including those participating via webcast or telephone, and other meeting attendees.  The webcast recording and meeting minutes will be posted on the Council website at www.juvenilecouncil.gov within 90 days of the meeting.  Oral testimony or comments from the general public were not accepted at this meeting.  Members of the general public were advised that they could submit written comments directly to Ms. Grasso at OJJDP, via her contact information (kathi.grasso@usdoj.gov) in the Federal Register notice announcing this meeting.  Provisions were made for non-Council, in-person attendees to submit written questions to the panelists who would consider these questions during the meeting, if time permitted.

**Karol Mason,***Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs, DOJ,*expressed her pleasure in joining Associate Attorney General Tony West, OJJDP Administrator Robert Listenbee, and all the federal and private partners, as they address the Supportive School Discipline Initiative (SSDI).  The purpose of this initiative is to address the link between school disciplinary policies and youth contact with the juvenile justice system.  The hope is to change these policies, educate parents, and also help young boys successfully deal with disciplinary issues and not wind up with juvenile records.  This effort falls under the President’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative, which was launched in February 2014 and designed to give every boy and young man of color—who is willing to work hard and play by the rules—a fair chance at success.  The focus is on several important areas: youth violence, contact with the juvenile and criminal justice systems, education, and economic mobility.

DOJ efforts are concentrated on preventing and reducing violence on boys of color, and addressing their overrepresentation in the justice system.  The major objective is to keep youth in school and out of the criminal justice system.  My Brother’s Keeper is a major administration legacy initiative for this President, who is committed to support boys of color and hold them accountable, while ensuring they have the support they need to reach their full potential.  DOJ is fortunate to have leaders who are passionate about reducing disparities and expanding opportunities.  One of the strongest advocates is Associate Attorney General Tony West, who recently announced another major new program that will fall under the umbrella of My Brother’s Keeper – the National Center for Building Community Trust and Justice.  Involving the full Department of Justice, its goal is to address issues of race and fairness in the justice system.

**Tony West,***Associate Attorney General, DOJ,* relayed his appreciation of the opportunity to work on these issues with so many committed colleagues, in such a progressive administration.  This meeting will focus on SSDI, which represents another commitment of this Administration to invest in young people.  It was launched by U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Attorney General Eric Holder in the summer of 2011, just two days following the release of the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center study “Breaking Schools’ Rules: A Statewide Study of How School Discipline Relates to Students’ Success and Juvenile Justice Involvement” (http://csgjusticecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Breaking_Schools_Rules_Report_Final.pdf).  The study followed nearly one million public Texas school students from grades 7-12, shining a national spotlight on the disproportionate application of excessive discipline to minority students.  The report highlighted significant facts, including: the majority of public school students were suspended or expelled at least once between grades 7-12; the majority of disciplinary actions were imposed for non-serious, non-violent behaviors (e.g., dress code violations, talking back); and disciplinary actions were disproportionately applied to students of color and those with special education designation.

Building on the Texas data this past March, Secretary Duncan and Attorney General Holder announced the release of the 2011-12 Civil Rights Data Collection.  This comprehensive look at civil rights data from every public school in the United States represents the first time since 2000 that the U.S. Department of Education (ED) has compiled data from all of the nation’s 97,000 public schools (approximately 49 million students).  The Attorney General noted that this critical report documents that racial disparities in school discipline policies and practices actually begin during preschool years, and provides other statistics, including those attributable to suspensions and zero-tolerance practices.  DOJ understands the need to address these disparities immediately to improve school climate and disciplinary practices, and are incorporating these issues into grant programs and policy initiatives.  For example, this past January ED and DOJ jointly released guidelines to school districts to help them identify, avoid, and remedy discriminatory discipline so that all students enjoy equal educational opportunities.  Significant progress has been made; yet much work remains.

When considering SSDI, Mr. West reminded everyone that this year marks the 60th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in *Oliver L. Brown et al v. the Board of Education of Topeka (KS) et al*, and the 50th anniversary of the passing of the Civil Rights Act.  Each of these events demonstrated moments when the federal government championed a non-negotiable commitment to equality for all Americans, and SSDI is a logical step in the continuing journey to fulfill that promise.  He expressed thanks to the panelists for their contributions and willingness to share their expertise on these issues and to everyone present for their dedication, collaboration, and agency support.

**Robert Listenbee,***Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), DOJ, and Council Vice-Chair*, thanked Associate Attorney General West for his remarks, and encouraged everyone to listen to Mr. West’s speech given the previous week on the Communities of Trust Initiative.  Mr. Listenbee thanked everyone in attendance and introduced Council members.  Building upon the momentum generated by the 2011 “Breaking Schools’ Rules” report, the Council of State Governments has the financial support of DOJ and others to pursue an intensive consensus-building process across many sectors.  A report due out later this spring will provide a comprehensive set of strategies for policy makers and advocates across systems seeking answers to the following two questions:

1. What can local, state, and federal officials do to support educators and to minimize school system dependence on suspension, expulsion, and arrest to manage student behavior?

2. How can we accomplish this while promoting safe and productive learning environments, improving academic outcomes for all students, and reducing involvement in the juvenile justice system?

Efforts to promote school safety and effective discipline in FY2014 will be guided by the Comprehensive School Safety Initiative, managed by the National Institute of Justice.  This initiative brings $75M of federal research funding to create safe school environments for students, faculty, and staff.  A focus on positive school climate is critical to success and additional funding opportunities, through partnerships with the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, will be announced soon.  Announced by President Obama this past February, My Brother’s Keeper initiative categorizes school discipline as a primary area of focus.  It is essential to address systemic realities that hold back boys of color and potentially other groups who are disparately impacted by school disciplinary measures.

Administrator Listenbee encouraged attendees to review thoroughly the BIOs of the impressive panel of presenters:

Catherine Lhamon, *Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education (ED)*, released from her office the 2011-12 Civil Rights Data Collection which unequivocally demonstrates the stark reality that the nation has substantial remaining work to ensure that every child has access to an equitable education.

Marlyn Tillman, *Co-Chair/Founder, Gwinnett Parent Coalition to Dismantle the School to Prison Pipeline (Gwinnett STOPP) & School to Prison Pipeline Director, American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia (ACLU-GA)*, leads this parent-driven, community-centered approach to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline, focusing on increased public awareness and promoting changes through data accountability and fact-based incident reporting.

Russell Skiba, *Director, Discipline Disparities Research to Practice Collaborative, the Equity Project; Professor in the School Psychology Program, Indiana University*, has worked with schools across the country in the areas of disproportionality, school discipline, and school violence.  He also directs the Equity Project Disparities Research to Practice Collaborative, which is funded by the Atlantic Philanthropies and the Open Society Foundation.

James Bell, *Founder/Executive Director, W. Haywood Burns Institute*, since 2001 has spearheaded a national movement to address racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice system.  He is also a member of the Discipline Disparities Research to Practice Collaborative and co-authored one of three briefs recently released by the Collaborative.

Chandlee Johnson Kuhn, *Chief Judge, Family Court of the State of Delaware*, is active in juvenile justice domestic violence prevention and prevention of child abuse.  Judge Kuhn has been a leader in engaging state officials on the number of youth being referred to the courts for school-based offenses.  She will speak about her work with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and their School Pathways Project.

Detailed BIOs, presentation materials, and handouts will be made available on the Council’s website (www.juvenilecouncil.gov). 

**Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention**

**Quarterly Meeting**

**Welcome, Opening Remarks, and Introductions**

**2011-12 Civil Rights Data Collection**

**Catherine Lhamon** expressed excitement at the collaborative efforts to stem the school-to-prison pipeline.  She emphasized that the recent collection of civil rights data are not projections, but are actual snapshots of school discipline, restraint, and seclusion events.  The rich volume of state-wide school district data now being made widely available to the public will help researchers, parents, community activists, schools, and states to assess whether more change is needed.

The revelations are very distressing: black students represent 18% of the preschool enrollment, yet account for over 42% of students receiving more than one out-of-school suspension; and the school-to-prison pipeline is beginning with children as young as 3-4 years old.  These children’s first lesson in the most fundamental government relationship that they will ever have, which is the relationship with their school, is that their schools don’t expect them to succeed.  Such a terrifying message is precisely the opposite one that children should receive.  No three- or four-year old child should ever be suspended from school, for any reason; yet the fact remains that this age group accounts for 7,500 suspensions around the country.  Assistant Secretary Lhamon asserts that changes are essential.  The data on use of restraints does not get better when crossing the threshold into elementary school: black students are three times as likely as their white peers to be suspended or expelled from school, and students with disabilities represent 12% of students, yet comprise 75% of those restrained at school.  Black girls are more likely to be suspended than all other girls and most boys.

This data can be used to make positive changes in enforcement and civil rights.  The message is to look at the data and the way discipline is used in the schools, respect and support each student, and ensure that teachers have at-the-elbow tools to help students be responsible learners and fully participate in the education space.  [Following her presentation, Ms. Lhamon needed to leave and deferred subsequent questions and comments to Marlyn Tillman and Seth Galanter.]

* * * * * *

**Marlyn Tillman** stated that parents can use this data to advocate at the local, state, and federal levels to ensure a high quality education, providing college/career readiness, which is important to families, students, and communities.  Parents can raise awareness, hold districts accountable, develop solutions, and monitor systems and the results of their advocacy work.

Ms. Tillman emphasized the importance of having this rich data released and informed the Council that systems can and have charged for this data.  In Gwinnett County, she was quoted a price of nearly $10K to receive the same data, and just for her school system.  It is good to raise awareness, expand community knowledge, and keep schools as community hubs.  Now everyone in Georgia has free access to hard cold facts and can individually and independently advocate for change through state-mandated local school advisory councils.  The data also helps to identify areas for better alignment of resources; this is critical because every data point is a life impacted.  Students of color are underrepresented in higher level classes and the data can be used to file disparate treatment and impacts.  This helps parents to assess their children’s needs.

* * * * * *

**Discipline Disparities Research to Practice Collaborative**

**Russell Skiba** reiterated that the existence of disparities in exclusionary disciplines, suspensions, and expulsions has been known and increasing since the 1970s, and those disparities affect a wide variety of groups.  Research has documented the consequences stemming from the use of suspension and expulsion: namely an increase in school and life risks, ranging from academic disengagement and lowered achievement to an increased risk of drop out and encounters with the juvenile justice system.  Until relatively recently, there has been very little research guiding how to address disciplinary disparities.  In response, through funding by Atlantic Philanthropies and Open Society Foundation, the Discipline Disparities Research to Practice Collaborative—comprised of 26 researchers, educators, advocates, juvenile justice representatives, and policy analysts—convened to determine how to increase the intervention research base and to ensure recommendations were practical.  They met quarterly with stakeholder groups and funded 11 new projects, specifically on disparities and reduction interventions.  A Closing the Discipline Gap Conference was held in Washington, DC and a briefing paper series was released in March.  Schools can contribute to the problems of overrepresentation of certain groups in suspensions and expulsion, and conversely can make a difference through modification of their practices.  Policy can be addressed through increased attention on data collection and increased initiatives that address disciplinary disparities.  A significant misconception is that youth of color primarily from poverty backgrounds are more prone to engage in misbehavior, but this is not supported by the research.

* * * * * *

**James Bell** addressed the recommendations he co-authored in the briefing papers and the difficult question of how educators can eradicate disparities in schools.  It is important to understand that practices often do not mirror the goals set in Washington (DC).  The youth justice system is the dumping ground for children that test other systems, e.g., mental health and the school system.  ED has now updated the data collection numbers that have long been witnessed by practitioners on the ground.  Mr. Bell’s experience with the Discipline Disparities Research to Practice Collaborative has enlightened him about educators’ concerns (such as Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS), social and emotional learning, etc.), yet a significant factor remains: the local level classroom teacher has total discretion over which student is referred to the principal for suspension and expulsion.

The justice, mental health, and school systems are broken ... and they all live in that classroom.  These three systems must come together to learn each other’s cultures and not just their language.  Judges cannot ignore a law violation, once it occurs, and the justice system demands a 6’ x 9’ room until that youth receives services.  Teachers know nothing about the justice system and at the classroom level they have no idea if the young person’s offense warrants a strike offense in a three-strike state, or even a felony.  If a student is violent, mental health professionals want them in the justice system.  Practitioners, principals, teachers, etc. need to understand the ramifications of each system.  Classroom teachers need options and an array of tools that do not automatically lead to the justice system, with guidance in classroom management containing disruptive students.  The justice system cannot give much to these young people other than taking them—whether they should or not—when what they need are services.  Everything possible should be done to keep youth out of the justice system.  What is needed are high-level intersections at the classroom level of school superintendents, principals, probation departments, juvenile courts, and mental health systems to decide what will be done with a young person and to what degree does incarceration have a role.

* * * * * *

**National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges – School Pathways Project**

**Chief Judge Chandlee Johnson Kuhn** provided an overview of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) School Pathways Project, touching upon her interests as a participating jurisdiction and as a mentor judge.  The School Pathways Project is a judicially-led and coordinated effort, facilitated by NCJFCJ and supported by OJJDP, Public Welfare Foundation, Open Society, and the Atlantic Philanthropies.  Chief Judge Kuhn and Kerrin C. Wolf, JD, collected data for every school arrest in Delaware for the 2010-2011 school year.  They presented the research after hearing about the “Breaking Schools’ Rules” report, and learned that the data from Delaware and Texas were very similar.  Most school arrests in Delaware stem from low-level discipline and fighting behavior, and over 70% of the arrests are dismissed or diverted.  The arrests are highly disproportionate for black students with 67% of all arrests being minority students.  A truly disturbing finding in Delaware is that 50% of girls are entering the justice system through school arrests.  Minority girls are disproportionally represented as well, at a ratio of 3:1 versus white girls.

After the first convening of the 2012 School Pathways at the NCJFCJ, and the CSG first consensus group, Chief Judge Kuhn called together a roundtable of juvenile justice experts in Delaware to create a School Disruption to Prison Pipeline.  A legislative task force was created to address Delaware school discipline and arrest issues and the report is currently in its final stages.  They were selected as one of 16 sites to further the work through the NCJFCJ School Pathways Project and the group serves as facilitators in Delaware, Kentucky, Michigan, and Connecticut.  School Pathways plans to use leadership and judicial strategies of collaboration and persuasion, to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline.  They are actively encouraging schools to utilize alternatives to arrest and are developing restorative justice practices.  Chief Judge Kuhn expressed gratitude to the NCJFCJ, OJJDP, CSG, the Atlantic Philanthropies, and the Council for supporting the imperative to educate every child in the United States, regardless of who they are or their difficulties and circumstances.

Chief Judge Kuhn closed with a personal testimony.  Five years ago she finished reading a book in one evening by R. Dwayne Betts, a Coordinating Council Practitioner Member, titled *A Question of Freedom*.  She had just sentenced a young man to the juvenile justice system rather than the adult system and wrote Mr. Betts to share about the inspiration she received from his book.  He responded and eventually came to Delaware to spend time with young men in prison.  Since then, she has given two cases of the books to the youth.  One of them read the book and is now employed full time while preparing to attend college.  That young man was in attendance at the Council meeting and was acknowledged with enthusiastic applause by everyone present.  Chief Judge Kuhn expressed appreciation for the incredible friendship she has fostered with Mr. Betts, citing that he has made her a much better judge.

* * * * * *

**Campaign for Youth Justice**

***R. Dwayne Betts, Author/Spokesperson***

Mr. Betts thanked Chief Judge Kuhn for those kind words.  Mr. Betts works with a clinic at Yale to represent youth in expulsion hearings and is interested in having solutions before meeting the young person.  Hearing officers are typically only concerned with knowing if an expellable offense has been committed: usually it has and, per school policy, results in kicking the youth out of school.  However, it is rarely serious enough to land them in a juvenile facility.  How can we manage the point of intervention for quasi-expellable offenses?

· **Tillman:** It is helpful to provide mediators to really look at the offense; also have meetings with parents and school administration to seek a common sense approach; this builds relationships and can help schools to back down a bit; often uncovers contributing factors that can be mitigated; always have peer mediation/third person (outside influencer) to push outside the box for different solutions.

· **Bell:** We will keep getting individual cases, unless schools begins to take a wider view; assemble intervention papers to create school environment that resists a first response of expulsion; briefing paper gives some great ideas; schools sometimes rely too heavily on PBIS—as if that will solve all problems—but it doesn’t give guidance for specific situations; need to supplement PBIS with other classroom intervention solutions.

· **Skiba:** School safety/disruption is often viewed as an iceberg – which means we want to remove the most challenging youth through expulsions and arrests, as if that makes schools safer, yet majority of iceberg still remains even if you lop off the top; we want to “warm the waters” by building a school climate that teaches youth how to get along, to reduce minor and serious behaviors.

· **Kuhn:** Delaware also is working to warm the waters, by establishing relationships between administrators, teachers, and parents in a collaborative manner (Demonstration Project).

**Second Judicial District Court**

***Deborah Schumacher, District Court Judge***

Crossover youth – those in both the foster care and juvenile justice systems – are overrepresented and they continue to penetrate significantly deeper into the justice system.  This is a double whammy because there are often no parents to advocate for them.  Social welfare agencies are certainly essential, but she is not sure if they are at the table in the way she would like to see: what is their role?

· **Kuhn:** [not discernible] what skills do educators need to tackle these problems? 

· **Bell:** This is just the beginning; now we have data and a common understanding that this is a significant problem; this should be the CORE issue, not just something tacked on, as our student base increasingly is minor (youth of color will be the majority by 2018); cannot have these continued expulsion rates and hope to have individuals prepared for suitable careers; we need teachers to go through processes of screening – classroom management, working with justice systems in pilot programs, working with mental health systems, etc.; Feds have given us some impetus and a good starting point, and the reports are great, but it must be dealt with at the local level.

· **Kuhn:** Is meeting with Delaware State University to create a high-level class to work with education majors, criminal justice students, and mental health students and pull them together to identify processes, rather than triage later.

· **Lauxman:** Thank you for this presentation; student involvement/student voice is critical, and not just college students, but youth in grade schools; we must bring the youth voice into the conversation.

**Office of National Drug Control Policy**

***Michael Botticelli, Acting Director***

We cannot emphasize enough about substance abuse issues as contributing factors: what are your thoughts about the move away from sanctions-based models, and what policies exacerbate or mitigate issues around suspension?

· **Kuhn:** It is significant; many of these youth are self-medicating; we must address this from the perspective of trauma, poverty, violence, and the number of mental health students coming out of higher education (these same issues exists in the military); we do NOT have enough providers to address mental health issues.

· **Skiba:** We can change school policies/codes of conduct, especially by reducing the term of suspensions; Chicago has backed down on many punishments; one school made expulsion into a probationary event for many drug offenses; if students actively engage in counseling, they are allowed to remain in school, even though the expulsion was technically on the “book;” youth of color are VERY aware of disparities and that they are disciplined more frequently; one focus group topic was Instruction and students expressed anger, not so much that teachers were hard on them but that they had such low expectations.

· **Tillman:** All students, not just those of color, are aware as to who will be suspended; in her work with ACLU of GA, they engaged student clubs about higher education; in the school of social work, one professor regularly asks for community outreach projects; get folk immersed in disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline and seek their help to stop some of these disparities; classroom management is not just behavior but how to structure your whole classroom, a holistic process.

**John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation**

***Laurie Garduque, Ph.D., Program Director***

Two thirds of youth arrested are already known to the child welfare system, especially the deeper into the system they fall, and dual-status children are more likely to recidivate.  It would be fabulous if federal agencies paid more attention to issues of workforce in all the human services.  The goal would be to change policies to reduce referrals from the schools to the courts, and to reduce the number of school resource officers (SROs) making arrests.  (1) How can we mandate changes/policies in the schools for less referrals and more incentives; and (2) what about the issue of truancy?

· **Kuhn:** Yes, we don’t want to bash mental health systems; we are developing data with crossover youth, including those with disabilities; in Delaware, mental health services work together and experience less of a silo; truancy is the elephant in the room.

· **Galanter:** In addition to conversations that spur communities to demand change, DOJ issues guidelines about disciplines that identify best practices, but also, from a civil rights perspective, offers a legal “stick;” now we are seeing some states (MD, CA, CO) attempting to grapple with law enforcement relationship issues (e.g., with SROs);  there are huge links between student achievement, discipline, attendance, and a challenging curriculum where teachers communicate their expectations of students; we cannot focus solely on discipline, but must make schools attractive to youth; this will make other issues more manageable.

**Alameda County Superior Court, CA**

***Trina Thompson, Immediate Past Presiding Judge***

Regarding Dwayne Betts’ comments about culture that must take place before a child even reaches expulsion: what studies exist that identify assessment tools to help teachers minimize disparate treatments (expelling youth for different reasons)?  Why not return to earlier days where school nurses or psychologists, along with peer mediation as a restorative practice, conducted assessments to create a positive school environment?

· **Bell:** The Research Collaborative received a small grant to implement a risk-assessment instrument  so that, from the classroom to the principal, there was a structured decision-making tool; they are now meeting with teachers, principals, and parents to identify what tools can be deployed in the classroom; really need something a probation officer can use; however, they keep running into an issue—schools don’t understand why they need other tools, if they are a PBIS community; once released, that paper will be given to Russ for distribution; they are conducting a pilot with classroom teachers that has some assessment to see if it is workable

· **Thompson:** Train the trainer will have some trauma-informed care portion?

· **Bell:** Not now, but will take that into account; needs more funding

**Agency and Practitioner Announcements**

**U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Division of Service and Systems Improvement*David Morrisette, Ph.D., Acting Chief, Community Support Programs Branch***

**Council Member Discussion**

They are hosting a couple of policy academies this spring that are so relevant to this discussion.  One academy will be with four states (Indiana, Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Georgia) to bring together those disparate groups and talk about school-based probations and points of opportunities.  The other policy academy will involve four tribes, in partnership with the MacArthur Foundation.  

**Administrator Listenbee**thanked the panel again for a very informative discussion.

**DFO Kathi Grasso**thanked everyone, especially the panelists, for their contributions to the meeting.  She expressed appreciation to OJJDP staff and contractors: Jamie Koppel, OJJDP Senior Fellow; the Concentration of Federal Efforts resource team (Marshall Edwards, Joyce Mosso-Stokes, Daryel Dunston, Debbie Jeffers); OJJDP technology specialists (Juan Sutton, Paul Filiatreault, Andre Roberts); and the many other OJJDP administrative, leadership, and support staff (Stephanie Marshall, Martha Jackson, Matthew Nichols).  Ms. Grasso invited the panelists, Council members, and Federal staff to the Executive Conference room for a brown bag lunch at 1:00 p.m., to continue an informal conversation.  

The meeting adjourned at 12:37 p.m.