R ES TORATI V E S C HO O L D I S C I PL I N E
• The basic skills of restorative justice
taught to teachers by outside consul-
tants fade over time.
• The nuances of restorative interaction
(e.g., languaging, attachment style re-
sponse, trauma-responsive) are not devel-
oped, maintained, refined, or advanced.
• There is no core group charged with en-
suring timely, consistent, organized, and
effective restorative resolutions to con-
flict, incidents, or patterns of misconduct.
“
Most schools only see the
restorative approach as
a discipline response for
students. When this hap-
pens they miss out on the
benefits of resolving con-
flict and long-standing
issues between adults...
”
One of the main reasons why restorative
justice has been so successful in the courts
is because of programs. Programs receive
cases, document, coordinate, adminis-
ter, monitor, and facilitate restorative en-
counters between offenders, victims, and
others impacted by a violation. A school-
based program can provide the same—a
highly organized system of processing and
tracking incidents, paying particular atten-
tion to an individual student’s social-emo-
tional development.
When this happens they miss out on the
benefits of resolving conflict and long-
standing issues between adults (faculty and
parents) in a restorative way.
Staff (and boards) don’t develop restorative
communication habits between them-
selves or with parents. Parents and stu-
dents see and sense this inconsistency. It’s
often the case that tensions among staff
impact the school’s professional culture
and climate.
Challenge #4: It’s not just about
the students.
In order for a school to become culturally re-
storative, disagreements between adults as
well as challenging behavior with students
need to be embraced as opportunities to
more deeply connect. It’s about the adults
developing the discipline of engagement
and connection with each other in the ser-
vice of community well-being. This simple,
“We couldn’t see how these methods
could become ways of responding not
only to incongruent behavior in stu-
dents, but the conflict happening be-
tween our adults.” 4
Most schools only see the restorative ap-
proach as a discipline response for students.
Continues on page 36
4. White (2017).
CSEE Connections
Winter 2019
Page 11