Disciplining students by suspending or expelling them from school is counterintuitive, as preventing students from learning not only hurts the individual, it hurts the entire community.
In many instances, however, exclusionary discipline, such as out-of-school suspension and expulsion, has become a primary method used to discipline students for all infractions — even those for which exclusion is unnecessary or inappropriate. We, as educators, certainly want students to follow school behavior expectations. However, keeping students out of school benefits no one. As such, school systems are challenged to find a way to hold students accountable while keeping them engaged in the learning process.
One such way districts can keep children in school is by implementing Restorative Justice, a unique program a number of schools across Michigan have introduced through the Michigan Department of Education’s Safe and Supportive Schools think.respect. grant. We are running Restorative Justice at E.A. Johnson Memorial High School with tremendous results — experiencing a 47 percent decrease in discipline referrals and zero expulsions during the past school year.
The purpose of Restorative Justice is to enhance student learning and development, and to focus on building and repairing relationships while managing school behavior. The initiative communicates a culture of care and a philosophy of justice while keeping communication open, flowing and supporting acceptable resolutions to school disruptions. Unlike normal disciplinary systems where all solutions relate to punishment, through the Restorative Justice program, the offender who created the problem is also part of creating the solution.
The think.respect. grant and restorative justice work to drastically improve the culture and climate in schools with the primary objective of positively impacting academic achievement. Administrators at E.A. Johnson high school have found the program to be an extremely positive method to resolving conflicts. In most cases, students walk away with the skills to behave better in future situations, indicating a high success rate in the restorative justice process. Educators have even witnessed students shaking hands and apologizing to one another after participating in restorative justice practices.
Within schools, opinions on the disciplinary process, from students, teachers and staff, are improving. As a result of the Restorative Justice program, more teachers and staff are serious about keeping students in the educational process and not tolerating misbehavior. For their part, students indicate a preference of restorative justice practices over traditional disciplinary procedures.
As another school year has just begun, I’m hoping more schools will look to how they can improve their learning environment without sacrificing the learning experience for students. Ultimately, students who remain in school while working through disciplinary issues are given an opportunity to become a valuable asset to their communities.
