To Resolve Problems and Repair Harm or Suspend and Alienate?
Although the question of whether responsible people should help solve the problem or throw the baby out with the bath water seems like a no-duh question, schools have only recently seen this as a possibility, and Restorative Justice is taking hold in schools across the nation- little by little. I am pleased to say that our district is working toward this end and the results are amazing. OH YES…. First of all… these are my thoughts and only my thoughts; I do NOT speak for the board-!!! Bet you have heard that before J
Now- let’s get down to the important stuff. In some schools in the Oakland Unified District in Oakland, California, “Restorative justice, …has cut suspensions by more than half….a seismic shift in the culture of discipline – from punitive to preventative, exclusion to inclusion.” [Khadaroo, http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2013/0331/Restorative-justice-One-high-school-s-path-to-reducing-suspensions-by-half]
It always did seem counter intuitive to suspend the very people we are trying to serve rather than finding out what is going on for that person. The basic premise behind restorative justice is trying to resolve problems and repair harm- most often by open communication with those involved and then as a group to hear the other and adjust if possible. Sometimes these students have had “trouble at home, felt harassed by police, or witnessed traumatizing crimes” or events in their own homes. A death of a beloved pet is traumatizing as are more hurtful crimes such as domestic violence and verbal abuse. Families struggling to keep afloat financially try, sometime unsuccessfully, to keep the worries away from their children. Whatever reason causes a student to act out, an alternate solution to suspension is preferred. It often comes down to everyone learning and practicing self-discipline. Easier said than done!
This will require our community “to address the roots of student ‘misbehavior’ and a willingness to rethink and rework our classrooms, schools, and school districts.” We must work toward “collaborative and creative, empowering students, teachers and parents.”[http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/29_01/edit1291.shtml?gclid=CL2kh6LS8cUCFQSUfgodF6QAGA]
Yes, that means the entire community working together to accomplish great things for our students, our children, our future. Can we do it? I believe we can. The Fern Ridge Middle School is participating in this program and receiving training. They have attended trainings and some ideas have been foregrounded at the beginning of the training: Give all Students a voice; Promote their capacity to express their opinions and emotions in a safe environment; Provide a Safe Place; Encourage students to listen to learn from their peers; and Promote students’ abilities. All of this leads to inclusiveness and more relationships outside their own cliques. The results speak for themselves so far, and we have only just begun. The referrals from last year, compared to this year, are nearly twice as many… or better stated- We are having half the referrals that we had just last year, and the program is new and just beginning to firm up. In 2012-2013, out-of-school suspensions occurred for 74.5 days for 59 events with 36 students involved while this year they are only 31 days of suspension for 16 events and only 14 students involved. Now that is pretty overwhelming statistics. This too can be improved, but we seem to be on the right track. Sally Storm said “Restorative Justice highlights relationships between staff and students. It will give staff many opportunities to show how much they care, and hopefully make students want to be in school and successful. It “brings them back into the fold” after they have made a mistake, rather than pushing them out. What could be more important?”
My thanks to all at the Fern Ridge Middle School [students and staff], to Principal Barsotti and to Superintendent Storm for pursuing this new program. Our district and, more importantly, our children are already benefitting.
As always, I remain open to comments and questions. Please write to me at tmorton@fernridge.k12.or.us – I look forward to hearing from you again. I leave you with this thought and quote. “The discipline you learn and character you build from setting and achieving a goal can be more valuable than the achievement of the goal itself.” Bo Bennett Have a great week!