Iredell-Statesville Schools School & Family Magazine Summer 2016 | Page 7

the student does not lose the chance of participating
in putting right the wrong. They become a part of the
decision-making process by coming to a consensus
about how that will happen, making restitution, and
crafting a plan for future behavior. They experience
accountability, encouragement to explore a personal
transformation, and the opportunity (with support) to
be re-integrated back into the school environment.

In RJP, the person who did the harm, the
person harmed, and everyone involved operate
as responsible members of society. The person
victimized also participates by finding out “why
me?”, being affirmed, being empowered, and even
vindicated. Everyone else participates in building a
sense of community and mutual responsibility, along
with encouragement to take on their obligations for
the welfare of the school environment.

The story continues:

When the issue with the two students and
teacher was referred to a victim-offender conference,
the process of bringing everyone together began.
Who should be included? Obviously the two students
should, and their parents. And the teacher? She
was a victim, and was injured. What about the other
students who brought all this about? Would they
participate if the parents understood the value of the
process? Would the school resource officer be willing
to share this event from his point of view?

The conference was held after many
individual private conferences with all of the
students and their parents. Some of the by-standers
would participate, and some declined. The teacher
agreed to participate, and her husband asked to
share the impact on him and his children. The
officer asked to speak to everyone about his role
in keeping the students safe. Each was asked to
consider:
• Who was impacted, and how?
• Who is responsible for making things right?

• What does that look like to you?
• How do we best support everyone to move forward?

In the end, the students did the hard work
of “stepping up” and facing their actions. They
held each other accountable for inappropriately
escalating and creating a scary scene. Many
apologies and hugs later, the students crafted
their plan to “make things right.” They presented
it to their parents, the teacher and her husband,
and the SRO, for their input and ultimate approval.
Remember, in RJP, everyone must come to a
consensus of what the plan will be. Theirs included
writing a two-hour educational session to share with
elementary students on why not to listen to “trash
talk,” and why not to lay hands on each other in
anger. They agreed to present this session to an
elementary class in the following weeks, and to
allow I-SS to use the session for future educational
needs. They also agreed to community service by
helping out at their school during sports events.
Finally, they were to provide written apologies to
each other, the teacher and her husband, and the
school resource officer.

Restorative Justice Practices: built on
principles, not on product

There are many ways that RJP can be
used in school to keep students connected. In this
example, the youth experienced Victim-Offender
Conferencing. The person who was harmed, the
person who did the harm, and the community –
other affected parties, classmates, bystanders,
friends, staff, family members – come together
to talk about the harm, how each of them were
affected, to identify what they need to address the
harm, hopefully identify possible solutions, and to
make a plan.

This process is always facilitated by a trained
neutral who has the responsibility of taking into
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