Counterpoint: Transform schools to transform lives

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As two Twin Cities young people with recent justice system experience, we understand the safety concerns behind Bloomington bringing police into its middle schools ("Some metro districts return police to middle schools," July 7). We also appreciated the Star Tribune's series spotlighting Minnesota's broken juvenile justice system and the need for restorative approaches. Like the Star Tribune Editorial Board we support Minnesota's newly enacted reforms.

Neither the series nor the new reforms, however, address the elephant in the room: the role of schools in preventing youths crime and system involvement by better engaging their students.

Unexamined in the discussion is the assumption that the place where youths spend much of their time just can't change the paths of those most at risk. As formerly at-risk students, we disagree. Our experience, backed by evidence and research, teaches that schools can enable students to overcome adversity and reach healthy adulthood.

We each faced big challenges at home and got in trouble in the schools and on the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul. One of us failed first and ninth grades and struggled with dyslexia. One of us was expelled from sixth grade, adjudicated at 12, spent more time on the streets than inside middle school and became a dad at 16.

Selling drugs, stealing cars and building court records keep many youths busy. We were very busy. We weren't part of our school communities, close to our teachers or interested in our schoolwork. We felt school wasn't for us. And we met our needs for belonging, mastery, adventure and purpose outside of school walls, like most of our friends.

Our lives began to change in high school, thanks to relationships with teachers who believed in us, engaged us and helped us find interests and purpose. Both of us transferred to small alternative public schools, which supported us to pursue passions outside of the classroom and turn them into rich learning experiences that built academic credits. We both managed to graduate high school.

Many of our friends weren't so fortunate. We did some research. About 10,000 Twin Cities kids under 18 are arrested annually. The 2022 Minnesota Student Survey found children's mental health and school engagement declined to record low levels. Only 42% of children report having strong relationships with one or more adults in school or elsewhere outside the home, according to the Search Institute.

We've learned about a powerful model that leaders and educators around the world have used for decades to help kids overcome adversity. Reclaiming Youth at Risk/Circle of Courage encourages schools and other youths programs to prioritize belonging, mastery, independence and generosity.

These programs must be staffed by adults able to meet these four needs and build trusting relationships with kids. When schools and teachers fail to meet core development needs — as in our own middle school experience — they miss crucial opportunities to spark growth and healing.

Over the past year, the two of us launched an initiative called Good Trouble to help build a movement to redesign middle school to prevent journeys through the school-to-prison pipeline before they begin.

Our team of a dozen young people with justice system experience shared their stories, hosted conversations with over 200 local leaders, educators and kids, and produced a documentary and recommendations report, which will be released later this month.

We aim to build a coalition to redesign schools, starting with middle school, to meet the core needs of kids. Let's give young people the opportunity to turn their trouble into "good trouble." Let's make Minnesota the best place for all of its young people to learn, grow and thrive.

Jose R. Perez, 23, of St. Paul and Julian Spencer, 19, of Minneapolis are co-founders of Good Trouble, an initiative of Bridgemakers, a local youth-led nonprofit.