Restorative Justice Practices Keep Students Connected to their School
By Terri Masiello , Executive Director , Piedmont Mediation Center , Inc .
In 2014 Iredell-Statesville Schools began the journey of exploring Restorative Justice Practices ( RJP ). Over 40 staff of all levels have been trained in RJP , as a way to provide accountability for harm and to guide youth in their development , regardless of their experience as an offender , victim or bystander .
This and future articles will , through stories of youth and their experiences , explore the value of school connectedness and how restorative practices play a role .
School Connectedness and School Discipline
It is easy for students to feel connected to their school when the student never gets into trouble or has conflict with other youth . But when at odds with others on a continual basis , or when the student is victimized , it is more difficult to feel or maintain connection .
The story begins :
At a middle school this year , as will happen , students were doing what the kids call “ trash talk .” Their so-called friends kept starting rumors , stating that each wanted to fight . That each was calling the other bad , bad names . The friends even posted negative comments that implicated the students , making all of this seem more plausible . “ She said she ’ s tired of seeing your ugly face ,” was posted . The tension built . One student “ called the other out ” in a class they shared , and both began pushing , punching , and using threatening words . Their teacher , trying to calm them down , also got punched . Both were suspended , and serious consequences were about to happen . More in a minute .
Formal school discipline practices of in- and out-of-school suspension often have the unintended outcomes of stigma among peers , a loss of self-respect , withdrawal or avoidance of school staff , loss of education , and taking a school problem into the streets and community . This is described as “ exclusion .” When a student violates a rule , they also may lose privileges ( such as the right to participate not just in school , but in school activities , sports , class trips , and even graduation ceremonies ). In this they lose the right to make decisions for themselves for a time ; put differently , they lose the right to participate as a responsible member of the school society .
Restorative measures , however , look not at rule violations but at the violation of relationships . Howard Zehr , considered the father of Restorative Justice , in The Little Book of Restorative Justice , describes wrongdoing as “… a violation of people and interpersonal relationships . Violations create obligations . The central obligation is to put right the wrong .”
With a restorative response , however
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