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Toledoans United for
Social Action (TUSA) is a faith-based community organization
founded in 1989 to address serious local problems. The group
is comprised of 24 religious congregations from the greater
metropolitan area and is racially, religiously and
economically diverse.
The organization had
drifted rudderless for quite a while until, in recent years,
new leadership breathed life into the group and rebuilt its
membership and activities. In 2014, TUSA held its first
annual conference and the organization’s achievements have
subsequently been evaluated
Currently TUSA members
have prioritized the following issues: re-entry programs for
ex-offenders, lead abatement, domestic violence and the ease
with which children are turned into criminals.
On Tuesday, August 30 TUSA
leadership assembled at St. Paul’s Missionary Baptist Church
for the bi-monthly Clergy Caucus in order to examine the
group’s progress on several issues, most particularly that
of discipline in the school system.
St. Paul Pastor James
Willis, president of the TUSA board, led the discussion.
Also on hand were: Jennifer Jackson, pastor of Haskins
Community Church; Ruby Radford, pastor of Cass Road Baptist
Church; Jane Gibbon, regional minister of American Baptist
Churches; Steve Valley, pastor of Seventh Day Adventist
Church; Rev. William Davis of Braden United Methodist
Church; Waverly Earley, pastor of Wesley United Methodist
Church, John Walthal, pastor of Mt. Ararat MBC; Aaron
Cooper, team member; Vernice Foreman, administrative
assistant at St. Paul; Pat Urbaniak, TUSA secretary;
Nicholas Betts, pastor of Phillips Temple, and Michelle Pelz
and Sue Roe of Toledo Public Schools.
Pelz and Roe are the
leaders of TPS Positive Behavior Initiative System (PBIS), a
national program that TPS adopted after TUSA presented the
district with a proposal to incorporate a discipline process
that would eliminate the disparities in punishment meted out
to students.
“There were huge
disparities in our district, especially with
African-American and Hispanic students,” said Pelz during
the Clergy Caucus. “For example, if 20 percent of a school’s
population was black, 80 percent of those punished would be
black.”
When Romules Durant, Ed.D,
became district superintendent, the effort to deal with such
disparities was ratcheted up. PBIS was implemented initially
in six elementary schools; 10 additional schools were
brought on board in September, 2013 and six more in 2014. At
that time, TPS hired a director of culture and climate (Pelz)
and a coordinator (Roe) to follow PBIS and ensure the flow
of progress for the program.
“Thirty seven of the 51
schools are now PBIS,” Pelz told the board members and
clergy. “We have worked hand-in-hand with the state
[Department of Education] to adopt a curriculum. Our office
exists to monitor – we develop critical questions and we
look at data.”
Students, said Pelz,
typically fall into one of three tiers as far as discipline
is concerned. Eighty percent will almost always follow the
rules and fall into the Tier 1 category. Tier 2 students –
about 15 percent of the total – need encouragement to follow
the rules and the question becomes is the system “giving
them what they need to motivate themselves,” said Pelz.
Tier 3 students – about
five percent of the total – “struggle mentally and need
intervention, but not necessarily punishment,” said Pelz.
“We are making progress and I am very optimistic,” she
added.
The PBIS model creates a
behavior expectation that governs all areas of school in
which students hear a consistent vocabulary from all adults
in the school. That consistency allows students to become
familiar with and to understand the expectations of their
behavior everywhere in school.
The expectations for
students are that – they respect themselves and each
other; that they are accountable for their actions
and display self-control; that they are mindful of
others and show responsibility and that they keep themselves
and others safe. (R.A.M.S.)
The three other new major
issues in TUSA’s portfolio – re-entry, lead abatement and
domestic violence – are being actively engaged. TUSA found a
model – Reentry Court – for reducing recidivism and Lucas
County has committed to establishing such a court.
Recently, on August 16,
2016, Toledo City Council passed the Lead Safe Ordinance
with a 10-0 vote.
Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson
and the Toledo Police Department have committed to change
the culture of the police department by ensuring the police
officers receive continuing education regarding domestic
violence abuse.
There are nine values upheld by TUSA member congregations:
the members of all segments of the community should be heard
and valued; that people themselves have the power to
determine their future and have a responsibility to speak up
and demand justice for all; God is first and we seek divine
guidance for all our actions, human begins are created in
the image of God and therefore deserve to be treated with
fairness, dignity, and respect; we value the diversity of
our multi-lingual, multi-cultural communities; display the
highest level of integrity in all of our activities and
actions; and uphold moral and ethical standards in our
congregations and in public life.
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