Students and staff at The Circle School work together to make laws and manage the school’s day-to-day affairs, including administration of a peer-based judicial system. At School Meeting, each member is entitled to one vote –- 4-year-olds, teenagers, adults. Alleged rule violations are heard by the Judicial Committee comprising five rotating members and bound by due process and the rule of law.
Democratic education cultivates originality, leadership, and an empowering sense of creative control in one’s life. On the other hand, traditional top-down school governance instills apathy, passive compliance, lack of initiative, and dependence on external authority. Traditional schooling does little to prepare children to become active creators of their lives and civically engaged adults.
No staff member or committee can override or veto the actions of School Meeting. At The Circle School, students are fully empowered citizens, and active creators of their community and their lives.