Punitive Justice, otherwise known as Retributive Justice, has been the primary mode of legal justice in America. However, with this approach has come a myriad of problems including in our schools. A notable study back in 2002 found that stricter school discipline policies resulted in long-term consequences for the students, including lower educational achievement, lower graduation rates, lower enrollment into higher education, and increased involvement in the juvenile and adult criminal justice system.1 In fact, no positive benefits were associated with the harsher disciplinary policies when compared to another school of similar statistics and demographics.1
What this study shows us is that a different approach focused on remediating underlying student problems, rather than reacting against student offenses, can be more effective at generating positive outcomes for students and staff alike. In fact, a remediation approach was shown to be massively effective at Oakland Unified School District in California which saw an 87% decrease in suspensions and a corresponding decrease in violence.2
These insights have become all the more important for a growing city like Chesapeake, as in the past year there has been an uptick in fights and violent assaults in CPS, compounding an already too-high total. One such well-publicized incident from October 2021, when a teacher was assaulted by a student in the classroom,3 serves as a perfect example of this worrying trend. It is clear that the current approach is ineffective in Chesapeake and a new approach is needed. As a school board member, I will fight for remediative and restorative policies to make our schools safer and improve the futures of our students. This includes:
1. Planning a Restorative Model to Discipline
- Establish a discipline team at each school which will meet bi-monthly. This team will be composed of an administrator, a few teachers, a school security officer, a guidance counselor, and some students.4
- This team will analyze existing school climates, implicit biases, and purposes for suspension. They will engage in school-wide conversations about the impacts of the current disciplinary system.4
- Additionally, the team will cooperate with other students and staff to ensure understanding and cooperation throughout the development of a restorative discipline plan.4
2. Transitioning to Restorative Practices in CPS
- The developed plan will begin with a gradual exchange of existing practices towards more restorative methods, focusing on de-escalation techniques.4
- The initial focus will be on reforming the disciplinary policy for non-violent actions. These will be among the first to undergo transition to restorative practices.4
- Throughout implementation, train staff on how to effectively facilitate conversation, community building, and strong student-teacher relations to promote problem-solving.4
- After preventative measures have been introduced, begin implementing restorative alternatives to detention and suspension. The focus will be on teaching students how to talk through problems whilst collaborating with families to adopt similar methods at home.4
- As violent assaults in schools decline, reallocate School Resource Officers back into the community. In their place, maintain school Security Guards, training them in de-escalation tactics.
- Finally, implement a Peer Restorative Justice Program (PRJD) to foster peer-to-peer adoption of the newly implemented de-escalation and problem-solving focuses.4
3. Empowering Previously Removed Students
- Afterwards, begin implementing policies from the initial transition for students who have been removed due to excessive absence, incarceration, expulsion, or suspension.4 Focus on helping these students re-integrate and feel valued as members of their school community.4
- Furthermore, provide students the opportunity to defend themselves against disciplinary infractions if desired. Allow the inclusion of character witnesses from teachers, faculty, and community leaders when relevant.
4. Monitoring & Improving Current Practices
- During and after implementation, provide quarterly reports on the effectiveness of implemented trainings and policies.4 This includes collecting and comparing current and past trends in disciplinary infractions, as well as surveying stakeholders to understand the impacts of the new policies.4
1.https://sdp.cepr.harvard.edu/blog/long-term-impacts-school-suspension-adult-crime
2.https://www.weareteachers.com/restorative-justice/
4.https://www.ousd.org/cms/lib/CA01001176/Centricity/Domain/134/BTC-OUSD1-IG-08b-web.pdf
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