Restorative Justice

Danielle PaulRestorative Justice Teacher AdviserOffice: 2106 Extension: 4043

What should Restorative Justice do?

The purpose of a Restorative Justice (RJ) Teacher Adviser:

To work collaboratively with stakeholders to plan, develop, and support the Discipline Foundation Policy to create a school culture that implements a restorative framework.

Essential Functions:

Support school staff with the implementation of the Discipline Foundation Policy.

Support administrators and key staff in developing the infrastructure needed to provide a three-tiered approach to support student behavior.

Plan and conduct professional development, training/or presentations.

Use data to identify, adopt and implement appropriate interventions including alternatives to suspension.

Collaborate with district staff to identify appropriate school and community resources to address the psycho-social/educational needs of at-risk students.

Assist classroom teachers and support staff with the implementation of RJ practices.

Coordinate with student, parent and community groups to build and implement school-wide practices.

THE 3 TIERS OF RESTORATIVE JUSTICE PRACTICES:

Tier 3 (intensive) 5 %– Re-entry Circle of the harmed

and the harmer…

Tier 2 (Targeted) 15-20%– Harm Circles when misconduct

happens—implementation of “harm circles” as a response to disciplinary issues in a restorative manner…

Tier 1 (universal) 75-80%– Community Building Circles

through strengthening relationships among all stakeholders and creating shared guidelines.

KEY INDICATORS

Positive School Culture and Climate

– Utilizing Community Building Circles to build student-to-student connections and teacher-to-student connections

Discipline Foundation Policy– Utilizing School-Wide Positive

Behavior Intervention and Supports Implementing Restorative Justice practices with fidelity

– Utilizing Restorative Justice Practices to Repair harm and Reintegrate Students after a suspension or expulsion

Discipline– Reduced Office Referrals for

Disruptive Behaviors—Increasing Instructional Minutes

– Decreased Suspensions resulting in an increase in Student Attendance

– Increase in Staff Attendance Achievement

– Improved Academic Outcomes

9 Key Restorative Justice PracticesSchool-wide Practices:

1. Using Affective statements—improves student’s emotional literacy, which further improves their communication, social skills, written work and reading. Students gain a greater understanding of emotions and the feelings of others.

I feel______ (the emotion), when _________(the occurrence).

I feel ________ (the emotion), when _________ (the occurrence) because ______________ (the reason).

9 Key Restorative Justice PracticesSchool-wide Practices:

2. Asking Restorative Questions—involves exploring what prompted the harm caused and then looking for ways to repair the harm done.

For Example:– “What happened?”– “What were you thinking at

the time of the incident?”– “What have you thought

about since?”– “Who has been affected by

what happened and how?”– “What about this has been

the hardest for you?”– “What do you think needs to

be done to make things as right as possible?”

9 Key Restorative Justice PracticesSchool-wide Practices:

3. Using Restorative Language—helps when conversations are difficult and people have different points of view.

Restorative language promotes speaking and listening skills and encourages open dialogue.

9 Key Restorative Justice PracticesSelected Practices:

4. Community Building Circles—create the opportunity for building students-to-students connections and teacher-to-student connections.

This strengthens the bonds of interrelatedness, fostering a sense of belonging and developing empathy resulting in increased cooperation in the classroom, reduced behavior issues and increased academic motivation.

5. Repairing the Harm Circles—participation in the practice must be voluntary and the person who did the harm must accept responsibility for his/her actions. Such restorative practices act as an alternative to traditional discipline in helping to restore, rebuild and strengthen damaged relationships.

These circles are led by facilitators who oversee and guide the process, balancing concern for all the parties involved. They allow an opportunity for participants to explore the facts, feelings and resolutions. Participants are encouraged to tell their stories, ask questions, express their feelings and work toward mutually-acceptable outcomes.

9 Key Restorative Justice PracticesTargeted:

6. Restorative Conferences—may be informal or a more formal conference between a staff member and a student to work with behavior challenges in a restorative way, using affective statements, restorative questions and other restorative approaches.

9. Re-Entry Circles—includes the harmed and the harmer following suspension, truancy, expulsion or incarceration, with the purpose of reducing isolation and increasing safety and creating a sense of belonging.

9 Key Restorative Justice PracticesSchool-wide Practices:

7. Restorative Staff Community—all members of the staff community receive the same training in the principles of Restorative Justice, develop shared values and make school-wide commitments to honor, display and model those values.

8. Restorative Practices with Parents—engage parents and all school stakeholders in understanding what Restorative Justice practices are and how they promote school climate. Discuss and provide parents and community stakeholders with copies of related Discipline Foundation Policy SWPBIS attachments from BUL 623.0 (A, B, C, G, H)