Community Relations Service U.S. Department of Justice

CRS Programs For Managing School Multicultural Conflict

A multicultural learning environment has become the norm in many school districts and communities throughout the United States. The diversity found in these settings offers many opportunities for people to learn more about one another. Yet too often schools are ill prepared to adjust to this diversity positively.

What kinds of conflicts do you have at your school or school district?

• Do students or gangs stake out turf on school grounds?
• Are there racial problems at school dances and sporting events?
• Do students feel that they are treated differently because of their race or ethnicity?
• Do minority parents complain that their children are not being treated sensitively by teachers?
• Is there racist graffiti in the restrooms or in other places on campus?
• Are non-students loitering outside the school during school hours?
• Are there racial fights before, during, or after school?

CRS has several racial/ethnic conflict prevention and management programs for schools or school districts:

• Conflict Resolution Services: CRS resolves community conflicts between students, parents, organizations, school personnel, police and school security. CRS can also help address community racial concerns following a hate incident.
  
  
• Student Conflict Resolution Teams: CRS provides training for student mediators and facilitates the establishment of student response teams.
  
  
• Student Problem Identifying and Resolving Issues Together (SPIRIT) Program: CRS provides training for two-day student-focused problem-solving sessions for resolving conflict in multicultural schools and school districts. This program includes students, school administrators, school security, and local law enforcement.
  
  
• School/Community Based Program: CRS facilitates meetings of students, school officials, police, parents, and community leaders to identify and prioritize problems, and to develop long term plans to resolve these problems.
  
  
• Conflict Management and Cultural Awareness Training For Staff: CRS provides training for administrators, faculty, security personnel, building staff, and bus drivers in racial conflict contingency planning and management of multicultural situations.
  
  
• Management of School Disruption and Violence: CRS provides training on best practices for restoring control of the learning environment, modifying the curriculum for a multicultural environment, addressing cultural sensitivity issues, increasing communication between the school and the community, improving police-school relations, and developing a youth advocacy program.

 

www.usdoj.gov/crs

 

CRS OFFICES

Community Relations Service 600 E Street, NW, Suite 6000 Washington, D.C. 20530 202/305-2935 202/305-3009 (FAX) Regional Offices New England Regional Office (ME, VT, NH, MA, CT, RI) Community Relations Service 408 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 222 Boston, MA 02110 617/424-5715 617/424-5727 (FAX) Northeast Regional Office (NY, NJ, VI, PR) Community Relations Service 26 Federal Plaza, Suite 36-118 New York, NY 10278 212/264-0700 212/264-2143 (FAX) Mid-Atlantic Regional Office ( DC, DE, MD, PA, VA, WV) Community Relations Service 2nd and Chestnut Streets, Suite 208 Philadelphia, PA 19106 215/597-2344 215/597-9148 (FAX) Southeast Regional Office (AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN) Community Relations Service 75 Piedmont Ave, NE, Suite 900 Atlanta, GA 30303 404/331-6883 404/331-4471 (FAX) Midwest Regional Office (IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI) Community Relations Service 55 W. Monroe Street, Suite 420 Chicago. IL 60603 312/353-4391 312/353-4390 (FAX) Southwest Regional Office (AR, LA, NM, OK, TX) Community Relations Service 1420 W. Mockingbird Lane, Suite 250 Dallas, TX 75247 214/655-8175 214/655-8184 (FAX)

Central Regional Office (IA, KS, MO, NE) Community Relations Service 1100 Main Street, Suite 320 Kansas City, MO 64105-2112 816/426-7434 816/426-7441 (FAX) Rocky Mountain Regional Office (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY) Community Relations Service 1244 Speer Blvd., Suite 650 Denver, CO 80204-3584 303/844-2973 303/844-2907 (FAX) Western Regional Office (AZ, CA, GU, HI, NV) Community Relations Service 888 S. Figueroa Street, Suite 1880 Los Angeles, CA 90017 213/894-2941 213/894-2880 (FAX) Northwest Regional Office (AK, ID, OR, WA) Community Relations Service 915 Second Avenue, Suite 1808 Seattle, WA 98174 206/220-6700 206/220-6706 (FAX) Field Offices Community Relations Service 51 SW First Ave, Suite 624 Miami, FL 33130 305/536-5206 305/536-6778 (FAX) Community Relations Service 211 W. Fort Street, Suite 1404 Detroit, MI 48226 313/226-4010 313/226-2568 (FAX) Community Relations Service 515 Rusk Avenue, Suite 12605 Houston, TX 77002 713/718-4861 713/718-4862 (FAX) Community Relations Service 120 Howard Street, Suite 790 San Francisco, CA 94105 415/744-6565 415/744-6590 (FAX)

CRS Customer Service Standards Our goal is to provide sensitive and effective conflict prevention and resolution services. CRS will meet the following standards: • We will clearly explain the process that CRS uses to address racial and ethnic conflicts and our role in that process. • We will provide opportunities for all parties involved to contribute to and work toward a solution to the racial or ethnic conflict. • If you are a participant in a CRS training session or conference, you will receive timely and useful information and materials that will assist you in preventing or minimizing racial and ethnic tensions. • We will be prepared to respond to major racial or ethnic crisis situations within 24 hours from the time when your community notifies CRS or CRS becomes aware of the crisis. • In non-crisis situations, we will contact you within three days of when your community notifies CRS to discuss your request or when CRS becomes aware of the situation.

www.usdoj.gov/crs