Fix School Discipline Toolkit for Educators | Page 47
this person’s duties are distinct and separate from
that of a dean or other school staff who may also
engage in punitive discipline. Ultimately, when RJ
works, it is possible that all deans can instead be RJ
Coordinators.
I recommend that to get started a school receive
training in RJ for the entire staff and begin doing
community building circles just with school staff and
incorporating circle into professional development.
RJ is a way of being and communicating so it’s not
an alternative just for students; everyone should be
expected to interact this way. Additionally, educators
should know that the goal of RJ isn’t just to reduce
suspensions, although this is incredibly important.
The goal is also to reduce the incidents that would
have precipitated a suspension in the first place. We
need to focus on the preventative aspect to truly
change school climate and culture
Highlight: Davidson
Middle School
San Rafael City Schools
When and why did you decide to start
implementing restorative practices and peer
courts at Davidson Middle School?
Former Principal Harriet MacLean: This was a
three year process. When I first came to Davidson
as principal at the beginning of the 2008-09 school
year, there was a phenomenal amount of disrespect.
We gave surveys to teachers, parents and students
that included statements like “I feel respected by
teachers,” “I feel respected by students,” or “I feel
respected by the administration.” Unfortunately, 65%
of all three groups disagreed or strongly disagreed.
One of the reasons for feeling disrespected came
from, I think, the tracking system at Davidson.
White students were tracked into honors classes and
black and brown kids were tracked into regular or
remedial classes. We also learned that the traditional
method of punishment was not working. We would
send students out of school and they would go
home, play video games for two days, come back
and nothing was different. Understanding this led
to a philosophical change that inspired a shift from
punitive practices to restorative practices. This
shift was very gradual. That first year, we began
dismantling the tracking system and building
a system and curriculum that would address all
students at all levels.
In the second year, 2009-10, we were working out
what we could implement to help the 5th graders
transition to 6th grade. Through this work, we found
CorStone, a non-profit that develops and implements
programs and services for marginalized adults and
youth in San Rafael. Karen Junker came to Davidson
as a CorStone coordinator to facilitate restorative
practices. During that year, we implemented
community building circles with our faculty and
in some classes, which resulted in suspension
reductions by about half.
6th Grade Teacher and Coordinator of Culture
and Climate, Karen Junker: In the third year, 201011, Dr. MacLean hired me on as a 6th grade Math
teacher and as Coordinator of School Climate and
Culture. Since I was already trained in restorative
practices we began implementing restorative
circles school-wide. Next we had 12 classified and
certified staff members trained in “Solution Team”,
our bullying intervention program. In February
2011, we learned about the Marin Peer Courts and
I received training in the peer court model from
them and began to implement the peer courts as a
suspension diversion towards the end of that year.
After this year, the teachers were so pleased with how
things were going that they wanted to put a policy in
place. Our School Discipline policy is a one pagechecklist that includes restorative steps that must be
taken before a student is referred to the office.
What happens when a student misbehaves at
Davidson?
MacLean: We follow the Cal. Ed Code and school
board policy. There are a few times where we still
have to suspend and there is a list of things for which
we “shall” recommend expulsion. However, there
is only a “shall” for a few things; everything else is
at the administrator’s discretion, including what we
choose to do when students return from suspension.
When those students return they still go through
our restorative processes. They have a restorative
circle with the person who they harmed, tea