Philadelphia’s shift in discipline policy

Stoneleigh Fellow Jody Greenblatt is featured in The Notebook.

Jody Greenblatt currently oversees school climate matters for the School District. She is a Stoneleigh Foundation fellow who started working on discipline and school climate issues at the District headquarters in mid-2012.

Greenblatt said in a recent interview that one of the root problems with zero tolerance is that many students with discipline problems have experienced trauma in their lives and need support in a positive setting, not isolation and more rejection.

“With the traumatized child, creating a sense of safety and security is really important,” she said. “They are already in a heightened fight-or-flight stance … and any change in school environment is not going to promote the feeling of well-being that they badly need.

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