Commitment
to Peace
TECH Freire Charter School is a peaceful community. Our highest priority is making sure that students feel safe and engaged in our classrooms and throughout our building, and that each of us has the tools and skills we need to resolve conflict peacefully. We work together as a community to create a peaceful environment in which every student can focus on themselves and their education and feel safe to take the emotional and personal risks necessary for learning. We view conflict as an opportunity for learning, growth, positive change, and peace as a way of life.
In practice, this means supporting students in accessing internal peace through counselling services and other individual supports, as well as teaching strategies for recognizing and resolving interpersonal conflicts. Every member of the TECH Freire community has access to cost-free individual and family counseling services, group therapy, and school-based social workers. Students will be trained to work with their peers to help resolve budding conflicts and collaborate to create long-term solutions and build a stronger community.
Furthermore, as part of our ongoing commitment to antiracism and fight for equity, Freire Schools is working to make our Nonviolence Policy more racially just. A big part of the work we do this year (and in the future) is developing the practice of restoring harm when it is done — for all parties involved. This includes utilizing restorative practices that respond to acts of violence and offering proactive supports to students to prevent violence. Supports may include orientation for new students, student-led community building, instruction in conflict resolution, connecting students and families with community resources such as family therapy and counseling, restorative circles, and other programs.
