Restorative Justice

Did you know that about 22% of students got into a school fight in 2019? Did you also know that about 25% of prisoners got victimized by violence in 2019? Pretty close together, isn’t it? Fights have caused lots of anxiety from both students and parents, who fear their children may get hurt at school.  School shootings have been a significant source of anxiety in recent years as well. These same parents may fear their child getting suspended or expelled for such heinous actions. This problem has become so enlarged in schools such as Eisenhower that some are starting a new approach to discipline. One of these approaches is called ‘Restorative Justice.’ Restorative justice is a way to keep young people in school. The goal of Restorative Justice is to build an interconnected school community and a healthy school climate so that school fights and other violent acts are less likely to occur, which could result in suspensions and/or expulsions.

     For example, students would be brought together in small peer-mediated groups to talk about their problems or ask questions through Restorative Justice. Restorative Justice is used to build relationships and resolve conflicts peacefully. This may just work better than suspensions or expulsions due to the fact that there is no evidence of a positive impact on school safety from suspensions/expulsions.  In reality, exclusionary responses to discipline lead to students losing instructional time and a lack of engagement with the school community, which places them at greater risk for future failure. This can also lead to significant problems within the school system, like a  lowered educational achievement rate, lower college enrollment, and increased involvement in crime. Restorative Justice will hopefully curb the “school-to-prison pipeline,” The disturbing national trend where youth are funneled out of public schools like Eisenhower and into juvenile and criminal legal systems.