Fix School Discipline Toolkit for Educators | Page 32

What does Restorative Justice
look like in a school?
The Restorative Justice “circle” is used as a critical
way to emphasize community, relationship building,
and build trust.
In classrooms, chairs are placed in a physical
circle with no additional furniture blocking any
participants.
A facilitator, the “circle keeper,” can be a student
or a teacher who makes introductory comments,
including a discussion about the values and positive
agreements that will govern that circle.
A talking piece, that has some significance to
member s of the circle, allows only the person holding
it the right to speak.
Participants “check-in” to talk about how they are
feeling physically, mentally or emotionally and
“check-out” to discuss how they are feeling as the
circle ends.
Teachers regularly use circles to work together
with students to set academic goals, explore
the curriculum, and develop core values for the
classroom community. Circles are used to help
prevent harm and conflict by helping to build a sense
of belonging, safety, and social responsibility in the
school community. Additionally, circles are used
when harm happens. Depending on the gravity of the
harm, these conflict circles may include the person
who did the harm, the person who was harmed,
parents of both parties and a facilitator.

Why is Restorative Justice a
better approach than quick
removals?
Restorative Practices not only reduce out-of-school
suspensions and expulsions, but also reduce the
actual incidents of harm to the school community,
making it a safer place for all students. RJ improves
student engagement and achievement. Here are a
few examples of Restorative Justice in action:
Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth (RJOY)
instituted a RJ program at Cole Middle School in
Oakland that reduced suspension rates in its first
year by more than 75%, and reduced violent fights and
expulsions to zero.
Schools in Oakland Unified School District using RJ
saw a drop of 24% in chronic absenteeism from 2010
to 2013, while chronic absenteeism at non-RJ schools
in the district increased by more than 60%. Reading
levels for 9th graders at RJ high schools increased by
128%, compared to 11% at non-RJ high schools.”
At Richmond High School, the suspension rate has
fallen from 61% in the 2010-11 school year to 9.9% in the
2013-14 school year.36
Several schools in Marin County are implementing
Restorative Practices and using a peer resolution
approach have seen reductions in suspensions and
bullying.

36 CDE Dataquest

Where can I go for additional information, resources and research?
Oakland Unified School District - implementing RJ to build community and respond to student
misconduct. www.ousd.k12.ca.us/restorativejustice
Restorative Justice Online – a service of the Prison Fellowship International Centre for Justice and
Reconciliation which provides intensive information about Restorative Justice http://www.restorativejustice.org
International Institute for Restorative Practices - an international graduate school committed entirely
to the teaching, research and dissemination of restorative practices - www.IIRP.edu

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How we can fix school discipline