R E STORAT IVE SCHO O L DISC I P LI NE
Continued from page 11
but intentional, commitment creates a pro-
fessional climate of safety and trust that
permeates the entire school community.
Whole-School Solution: 4 Pillars of
a Restorative School Culture
A whole-school approach consists of: Poli-
cy, Program, Practices, and Pedagogy.
Restorative Policy
“When a student falls short of a behav-
ioral expectation, we believe the cor-
rect response from us is to help them
learn and grow from the incident. For
this reason, we embrace a restorative
approach to student conduct.
“When an incident happens that dis-
rupts the classroom or school social
environment, our policy is to speak
with everyone who was involved or
impacted, hear their perspective, un-
derstand why it happened, determine
what people need to resolve the inci-
dent (including repair), and co-create
an agreement to nurture constructive
changes. This includes students, par-
ents, faculty, and administration” - From
Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork Be-
havioral Policy. (2017) 5
Even though schools are implementing
restorative practices, their conduct polices
often remain sanction-oriented and deficit-
focused. Notice that the above statement
articulates a positive response to an incident
rather than a coercive one. In doing so, it
establishes a positive communication norm
based on engagement.
It’s been my experience that in the desire
to embrace restorative practices, school
conduct policies are not as specific as they
need to be in terms of explaining exactly
how incidents are actually processed, and
how behavior is held accountable. Parents
need this specificity.
The more specific the policy is in explaining
how the school responds, the less confusion
and anxiety parents will have, and the less
stressful it will be for school faculty
and administrators.
A behavioral policy should shine a light on
what’s possible. It should promote positive
behavioral norms and clear expectations for
all community members—not just students.
When a policy sets forth positive behaviors
and positive responses that the whole com-
munity can aspire to, it becomes a teaching
reference rather than a code of discipline.
When parents, teachers, and staff are as-
piring to achieve the same positive norms
as students, and responding to incidents
among themselves in a restorative manner,
students witness and experience coherency,
consistency, and continuity. Consistency re-
duces confusion and anxiety.
5. Bledsoe, W.A. (2017). “Whole School Restorative Behavioral Policy”
Page 36 Winter 2019
CSEE Connections