Agenda Materials for February 23, 2023 Schools Safety Task Force Meeting

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DISCUSSION GUIDELINES FOR SCHOOLS SAFETY TASK FORCE MEETINGS (Attribution to Roger Schwarz) • TEST ASSUMPTIONS AND INFERENCES. By verifying assumptions or inferences, members can make informed decisions and nurture understanding. • SHARE ALL RELEVANT INFORMATION. This ensures that the group has a common base of information upon which to solve problems and achieve general commitment. • USE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES AND AGREE ON WHAT IMPORTANT WORDS MEAN. This guideline generates observable data—people,places, things or events -that allows group members to determine independently whether the examples are valid and to agree on the meaning of words. • EXPLAIN REASONING AND INTENT. Members explain what leads them to make a comment, ask a question, or take an action so that listeners can respond, and both speakers and listeners can learn from each other. • FOCUS ON INTERESTS,NOT POSITIONS. Interests—needs, desires, and concerns - are criteria that may need to be met in order to solve a problem in a way that others can support. • COMBINE ADVOCACY AND CUROSITY. In curious inquiry, a question, often open- ended, is asked with the intent on learning, rather than conveying a point of view. • JOINTLY DESIGN NEXT STEPS AND WAYS TO TEST DISAGREEMENTS. Joint design takes into account the members' interests, relevant information, reasoning, and intent. Testing disagreements is seeing if there is a disagreement, and if so, discussing possible joint resolutions. • DISCUSS UNDISCUSSABLE ISSUES. Applying these ground rules, difficult issues, which are relevant but are perceived to possibly have negative consequences if raised, can be addressed. • USE DECISION-MAKING THAT GENERATES THE LEVEL OF COMMITMENT NEEDED. The more members are able to make an informed choice, the more they are likely to be internally committed to a decision. • APPRECIATE AND TREAT ONE ANOTHER WITH RESPECT AND COMPASSION