Giving Compass' Take:

· Chalkbeat interviews Assistant Principal Bill Hesford about his approach to school discipline and why he chooses to investigate each incident rather than assigning strict punishments immediately after hearing of it.

· Why it is important for school administrations to investigate incidents where children get in trouble rather than immediately applying undeserved consequences? How can schools provide a more just discipline system to change behavior?

· Learn about the differences between punishment and discipline and how schools can use discipline to create sustainable changes in behavior.

When students get in trouble at Bayfield Elementary and Bayfield Primary in southwestern Colorado, Assistant Principal Bill Hesford casts a wide net in his search for answers.

That’s because he knows the first story he hears, even if it’s from a staff member, is often incomplete. He prefers to spend extra time doing a thorough investigation than to mete out undeserved consequences.

Hesford, who was named the 2018 Outstanding Assistant Principal for Colorado by the Colorado Association of School Executives, talked to Chalkbeat about his restorative approach to discipline, his reliance on school counselors for the inside scoop, and his promotion to principal next year.

Read the full interview with Bill Hesford about school discipline by Ann Schimke at Chalkbeat.