Ignorance of the law is no excuse. Cliché, but in the manner of many such pithy, overused statements, true. However, the authorities' obligation to lay out the rules clearly is the other, often unstated, side of the discipline equation.


Peace and Love in Society (PALS) has been working at balancing responsibility with knowledge of the rules in the primary- and high-school systems, developing handbooks that clearly outline a code of conduct for the members of the school's community. So far, several high schools have utilised the PALS handbook templates.

PALS general manager, Janilee Abrikian, told The Gleaner "PALS decided to develop a handbook upon recognising that many schools did not have one, or what they had was inadequate, such as a two-pager. Where those two-pagers did exist, they were also very old and parents and students did not have a copy".

Donald Quarrie's principal, Reford Hines, confirmed that while the school rules were written down previously, using the PALS template provided the school with a comprehensive code of conduct. Hines added that the template was further localised with pictures, the school's vision and mission statements, the school creed, and information regarding the school's valedictory service and awards ceremony being include. And at Donald Quarrie High School, the rules are laid out not only for students, but teachers as well.

While Donald Quarrie introduced its handbook at the start of the current school year, Penwood High is using its PALS template-based handbook for the second academic year. Penwood's principal, Austin Burrell, told The Gleaner that parents and students were required to read the institution's 42-page handbook thoroughly and sign a declaration that they have done so. The declaration reads in part: "I declare my unreserved willingness to abide by the rules and regulations governing the Penwood High School as they are outlined in the handbook."

The handbook template is available to all schools and most of the institutions on the current PALS-Ministry of Education project have shown an active interest in using it to deve-lop their handbooks, or to improve current editions. The PALS programme is being implemented in 90 primary and junior high as well as 15 high schools islandwide in the first phase of a five-year memorandum of understanding between PALS and the Ministry of Education.

The primary and high-school templates differ in some respects, the latter developed first. Abrikian's draft, based on extensive research online as well as existing handbooks in Jamaica, was redefined and 'Jamaicanised' in collaboration with two high-school principals.

Slightly different approach


Abrikian said, "While there is an overlap of issues addressed, the formats of the books are different. Different aspects of school life are addressed, given the different age groups. For example, some time is spent on addressing how parents can help their children with homework in the primary school handbook. This is not addressed in the high school handbook. We also took a slightly different approach to the code of conduct, but this is more of an improvement over the high school handbook."

Although it is clearly stated that the handbook cannot cover every single incident which will arise over an academic year, the templates are detailed and comprehensive. The format includes an introductory section, followed by general information. The policies, regulations and procedures section addresses issues such as cellphone use, sexual conduct, vandalism, health safety and security, visitors and substance abuse. Stakeholder roles - parents, staff, the dean of discipline, the principal - are defined. The student conduct code and discipline plan includes disciplinary action levels and disciplinary options. Outlined is a range of preventive strategies in which the student can be engaged. Where these are not effective, and the student needs additional help with self-management, other measures, such as contracts, special assignments and teacher-parent conferences are suggested. Measures for dealing with more serious and recurring inappropriate student behaviours are also included.

Change for the better

Hines said, at Donald Quarrie, distribution of the handbook had not been going as well as projected as the handbook is available at a cost to families. Starting next year, though, a handbook will be included in the school package of every incoming student. Burrell said students and parents were satisfied with the handbook, which has contributed to a change for the better.

"It's not just the handbook, but also other measures that have been put in place. We have seen an improvement in discipline at the school," Burrell said. Those measures are also largely a result of the PALS programme. He added that, at Penwood, with PALS' guidance, they are also developing a handbook for staff.

As time goes by and the schools' environments change, their handbooks will be a work in progress, with adjustments made as required. Still, it is projected that the PALS-template-based handbooks will serve the schools' needs for a long time.

"We will go back to press in the school year 2011-2012," Hines said.

Mel Cooke, Gleaner Writer



Peace and Love in Society trainer Yorkali Walters with Calabar High School lower sixth-form students during a recent training session at the Red Hills Road, St Andrew school. - photo by Mel Cooke

Calabar vice-principal Canute Fagan had encountered the Peace and Love in Society (PALS) programme before it was introduced into the Red Hills Road, St Andrew school at the start of the current academic year.

"There is hardly a meeting I have gone to with the other stakeholders that PALS has not been a part of," the 15-year veteran Calabar teacher - plus seven years as a student - told The Gleaner.

These stakeholder meetings have included the National Transformation Programme and the Safe Schools Programme.

"They are really in touch with what is happening," Fagan said.

At one stage, though, he had thought that the programme was just for the primary level of the education system, what with students reciting the motto and the chirpy PALS mascot. However, in June, "I was invited to one of their meetings and when I heard what the offerings were I was really excited."

Exciting components

Among the PALS programme components that have excited him are classroom management, crisis management and conflict resolution for student leaders.

Fagan readily states that Calabar has a conflict-resolution issue - which is common to many schools. "Once you have more than one party interacting, you will have it," Fagan said, identifying a number of conflict permutations involving students, teachers and parents.

"This can destabilise the school, to a large extent," he said.

The Gleaner was allowed to see the potential destabilisation in one incident, where a cellphone dispute from the tail-end of the last academic year had resulted in threats and a parent being cursed over the telephone. The police were called in, one lawman wanting the students involved in the dispute suspended and sent to the station for the matter to be dealt with, but Fagan flat out rejected that avenue.

When The Gleaner visited Calabar on Monday morning, the lower sixth-formers in training sessions with PALS trainers, Yorkali Walters and David Pearson, were not in a dispute with anyone - at the moment. Separated into two groups and the training exercises running concurrently, they were examining the results of paired interviews, responding to hypothetical conflict scenarios and indicating their position on a number of statements about conflict by their physical position along one side of the room.

'Agree' was at one end and 'disagree' at the other, with 'borderline' in the middle. When Walters said "people should never fight", the 'disagree' side was crowded; it shrank when he threw out "if somebody dis you it is best to pretend you never hear".

Almost all agreed that "the world is divided into winners and losers". He whispered the final question to the young men on differing sides of the opinion line and some shuffling took place, with most clustering on the 'agree' side.

Fagan sees a win-win situation with PALS at Calabar, one of 12 high schools the programme has been introduced to under a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Education. The first phase ends in December.

"I wish we could move at a faster pace," Fagan said, saying that Calabar's timetable had been set over the summer and timetabling peace education for the first formers was posing a problem. Still, he is determined to squeeze it in somewhere.

Immediate effect

While he expects the effect of the PALS programme to be really felt in the medium to long term, Fagan said, "It is hard not to see it happening immediately."

He sees a change in mindset, to an attitude where there is a realisation that the school's culture was developed over time and it can be changed.

Fagan said "people have bought into it" and one no longer hears "a so Calabar stay".

They are now saying "yes, it was developed over time, but we can change it".

In August, all 90 Calabar High staff members participated in a PALS 'Changing The Culture' workshop, done at the request of the school's administration. Among the concepts they were introduced to was what constituted 'toxic elements' in a culture.

"Once you start to change the culture and you remove the toxic element, those who come in follow what is there. That is what is happening," Fagan affirmed.

The cellphone at the core of the dispute that lasted through the long summer break was returned the day after the discussion, and that matter has been settled.

Fagan said he did not see PALS' impact on Calabar ending even when the programme stops there officially - whenever that is.

"Once PALS has a foot in any school, even when they pull out, it remains. It is hard for them to leave completely. The programme is sustainable," he told The Gleaner.

As the new school year started on Monday, students at Dunoon Technical High School were introduced to new teachers in the auditorium of the St Andrew institution.

They also met 28 of their fellow students, not for the first time, but for the first time in their capacity as Peace and Love in Society peer mediators. They were trained over four days during the summer holidays, as the PALS programme begins in over 100 schools under an arrangement with the Ministry of Education.

Packed Auditorium
"You will hear them refer to themselves as conflict managers also," PALS trainer Sybil James, who did the introductions, told students in the packed auditorium. "They serve their school by helping other students resolve conflicts."

PALS trainer Michael Cohen is the school's coordinator and will have direct contact with the Dunoon peer mediators throughout the school year. PALS trainer Sheron Barnes-Wilmott also worked with the students.

With the peer mediators/conflict managers, new badges on their shirts and tunics, standing before the general assembly, James explained their roles.

"They operate in pairs and are scheduled for duty by the coordinator. They assist students in peaceful expression and resolution of their conflicts," she said. Students may be referred to the peer mediators/conflict managers by the principal, teachers or other students, or they may go voluntarily.

This is an excerpt from an article published in the Jamaica Star on Friday September 11, 2009. The entire article is available at the Jamaica Gleaner website.

Mel Cooke, STAR Writer


As the new school year started on Monday, students at Dunoon Technical High School were introduced to new teachers in the auditorium of the St Andrew institution.

They also met 28 of their fellow students, not for the first time, but for the first time in their capacity as Peace and Love in Society peer mediators. They were trained over four days during the summer holidays, as the PALS programme begins in over 100 schools under an arrangement with the Ministry of Education.

Packed Auditorium

"You will hear them refer to themselves as conflict managers also," PALS trainer Sybil James, who did the introductions, told students in the packed auditorium. "They serve their school by helping other students resolve conflicts."

PALS trainer Michael Cohen is the school's coordinator and will have direct contact with the Dunoon peer mediators throughout the school year. PALS trainer Sheron Barnes-Wilmott also worked with the students.

With the peer mediators/conflict managers, new badges on their shirts and tunics, standing before the general assembly, James explained their roles.

"They operate in pairs and are scheduled for duty by the coordinator. They assist students in peaceful expression and resolution of their conflicts," she said. Students may be referred to the peer mediators/conflict managers by the principal, teachers or other students, or they may go voluntarily.

Disciplinarians

James emphasised that the process is voluntary and the peer mediator/conflict managers are "facilitators, not judges or disciplinarians. They help students express their conflicts and find their own best solution."

"They won't tell you what to do. They won't say who is right or wrong. They invite you, the students, the disputers, to come up with your own solutions. The philosophy is that students can handle their conflicts themselves," James said.

Teachers, then, should not have to interrupt their schedules to "deal with little conflicts", while the students will learn to handle their own conflicts, which will serve them well as they go into the wider society.

"It gives me great pleasure to present to you the conflict-resolution managers of Dunoon," James said, to general applause.

Romaine Brown and Felecia Hibbert were asked to indicate how the PALS training had affected them, Brown saying, "we have learnt how to discipline ourselves and deal with problems".

"We are here to help you deal with your problems," Brown said. "We are here as a guideline, so when you go into the society you know how to manage your conflicts."

And Hibbert said "it helped me to deal with my conflict and show others how to deal with theirs."

The introductions over, James told THE STAR that for three days in July and, a final day, last Friday, the peer mediators/conflict managers were taught conflict-resolution skills, such as anger management, understanding, resolving conflicts and effective communication".

"They responded positively, although we introduced a new way of dealing with conflicts, which was sort of new to them, and they thought they would not be able to deal with conflicts in a positive way. First we had to teach them to deal with their conflicts if they were to deal with others," James said.

A Challenge

"It was a challenge because they 'don't take no chat'. When we were telling them to walk away - they don't walk away, especially the boys, because you are soft."

The students were selected based on their leadership qualities, James explaining that it did not necessarily mean "the brightest, most cooperative, most disciplined". Students who are able to deal with their peers were selected to be peer mediators/conflict managers.

There will be further PALS programmes at Dunoon, as teachers need to be trained and there will be a student-leader programme with Cohen having direct responsibility for the projects. "In the school there is a change in the culture programme, a critical management programme."

"I have quite a lot to do," Cohen told The STAR.