Jan Burgess

Jan is a semi-retired Student Support Specialist and Behavior Specialist from the North Kansas City School District. Her mission is to end exclusionary practices and work to build the school community. Her expertise is in the implementation of restorative discipline practices in the classrooms and the school. Jan has 41 years of experience with students with disabilities, first as a music therapist and then as a special educator for students with emotional disturbances and behavior disorders. Since retirement, Jan has set her sights on coaching and mentoring teachers to improve communication, student/teacher relationships, and school and classroom cultures. She is currently working part-time as the facilitator for the Temporary Alternative Program Center (TAP-C) for students who are long-term suspended in the North Kansas City School District.  Students there work to keep their classes up-to-date and engage in resiliency and emotional regulation activities, and conduct restorative plans to repair harm and improve relationships to reintegrate back to their home schools successfully.