Luke Orlando

This artifact was created for use in the East Stroudsburg Area School District's in-school suspension room. As I reflected upon the difficulties of the 2021-2022 school year, it became clear to me that a change was needed in how the school addressed its disciplinary problems. One of the most significant problems the school faces is recidivism in exclusionary practices. Students who are removed from the classroom as a punishment are not changing their behaviors. In fact, individual students return to in-school or out-of-school suspensions three to four times a year on average, with some students deliberately planning their misbehavior in order to join their friends. After receiving training in social-emotional learning, I reached out to other professionals to find out what we could do to improve the ISS experience using SEL practices. What we developed was a series of four lessons that could be delivered in a one-on-one, small group, or self-directed method.

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Since this artifact was developed, ESASD has continued to implement SEL practices in their support systems and has improved accountability in the ISS room by implementing receipts for work completed. What I've learned through this experience is that advocacy as an educator may have ripple effects that you don't anticipate, so it is always worth pushing for what you believe in.