When exploring whether the effort required to adopt a restorative justice approach to disciplinary action is worth it, consider this: If children and teenagers already had well developed skills in self-regulation, in interpersonal effectiveness, and in decision-making there would be little need for schools and educators. While the delivery of academic content is critical, of course, it is lessons about how to be a healthy human living productively amongst other humans that defines the overarching mission of our schools.
When viewed within this context, disciplinary actions that involve removal from the classroom or a temporary removal from the school altogether – i.e., out-of-school suspensions – optimally should be approached as teaching opportunities rather than simply as punishment for unacceptable behavior. If managed properly, the return to school after a suspension can provide students with the chance to reflect on and take accountability for their behavior, build self-esteem, and repair damaged relationships, while offering a pathway to both restorative justice activities and a plan for avoiding trouble in the future.
The Argument for Reducing the Use of Suspension as a Disciplinary Tool
Before addressing best practices for welcoming a student back after a suspension, it is important to consider the growing trend for school districts to seek alternatives to suspension, including the movement to adopt restorative justice approaches.
In November 2020 neaToday published an article about the “Lost Opportunities” report released by the UCLA Civil Rights Project. This analysis of suspension data revealed that “During the 2015–16 school year, according to national estimates released by the U.S. Department of Education in May 2020, there were 11,392,474 days of instruction lost due to out-of-school suspension. That is the equivalent of 62,596 years of instruction lost. The counts of days of lost instruction were collected and reported for nearly every school and district by the U.S. Department of Education.” The rate of lost instruction was found to be more than five times higher for secondary school than for elementary school (37 days lost per 100 middle and high school students compared to 7 days per 100 elementary school students), and students of color were disciplined at disproportionate rates due to a greater severity of intervention for minor infractions.
Compounding the problem of lost instructional days is the question of whether suspension as a disciplinary tool is even effective. In September 2021 neaToday reported on research findings that suggest that in most cases suspensions are ineffective and, in fact, are more likely to be harmful. The study’s findings “underscore that suspending students does little to reduce future misbehavior for the disciplined students or their peers, nor did it result in improved academic achievement for peers or perceptions of positive school climate. Plus, the more severe the exclusionary discipline, the greater its negative effects were on a student’s future academic performance, attendance, and behavior.” In contrast, restorative justice approaches have demonstrated a positive effect on school climate and tend to reduce the frequency of suspensions.
This is not meant to imply, of course, that suspension is never the appropriate disciplinary intervention. Severe infractions such as bringing a weapon to school or assaulting a peer or a teacher must be addressed within both school and law enforcement guidelines. However, for lesser infractions it is worth considering both alternatives to suspension and best practices for how to manage a student’s re-entry after a suspension.
Re-Entry Protocols to Maximize Learning and a Sense of Belonging
There is a good chance that students who were suspended already had been feeling disengaged and alienated, and even disliked and unwanted. In the absence of a structured and welcoming re-entry process, it is likely that students returning from suspension will feel even more disconnected and angry, as well as ashamed and targeted – the perfect recipe for a repetition of the cycle. A re-entry meeting, as with all restorative justice practices, represents a prosocial way to help disciplined students learn how to resolve conflict, to take responsibility for their own behaviors, and to repair relationships and make amends. These practices de-emphasize punitive discipline in favor of communication and the fostering of empathy, perspective-taking, and forgiveness for all involved.
It is important to remember that students who act out behaviorally are not inherently “bad”. Typically, students act out because neurodevelopmental and/or mental health challenges interfere with their ability to express themselves verbally, and/or because they have adopted disruptive behaviors as trauma survival mechanisms. A successful re-entry process, therefore, will convey to students understanding and empathy for their challenges as well as a clear plan for accountability and restitution.
It is helpful to approach a re-entry meeting (sometimes called a “re-entry circle” or “restorative welcome” meeting) as a “welcome back – let’s make a fresh start” opportunity. If possible, it is best to schedule the meeting one or two days prior to the student’s return. Some implementation recommendations include:
- Meeting participants should include the student, caregivers, one or more teachers, a school administrator, peers or teachers who were harmed by the student’s behavior, and any other individual(s) who might be a special advocate for the student – perhaps a peer, a lunchroom attendant, a mental health counselor, etc.)
- Keep the tone positive and future oriented
- As with any sound learning opportunity, check for the student’s understanding along the way
- Create and follow a set agenda for the meeting – see the Angels and Superheroes sample format here: Re-entry-Form.docx
- It is suggested that the meeting start with an overview of the student’s strengths, followed by a description of the problem behavior(s) as observed by school professionals. Be mindful of language: do not follow the praise with a “but” when describing the student’s infractions as this will appear to negate the positives. Follow the discussion of student strengths with an “and” – “and now let’s talk about the behavior that got us here today.”
- Parents and students also should be invited to voice their perceptions and concerns. It is important to remember that all do not have to agree on perceptions of the incident(s) – what is critical, however, is that all agree on a plan to “make it right” and to avoid trouble in the future.
- Participants should collaborate on creating a restitution plan: what steps will the student take to correct or compensate for the harm caused? This might include repairing or replacing something that was damaged; apologizing to one or more members of the school community; creating a “respect agreement” that specifies examples of respectful peer-peer, student-teacher, teacher-student, student-parent, and parent-student behaviors; committing to one or more community service activities at the school.
- A plan to support the student is essential. What can the school offer to assist the student? What does the student agree to do on his own behalf? What will the parents do to support the child in her efforts to make better choices in the future? This should include an opportunity to get updates from all teachers on what the student missed while out and on what needs to be done to catch up.
- The final portion of the re-entry circle should be a summary statement that addresses student strengths, varying perceptions of the problem behavior, a restitution plan, and the plan for supporting the student going forward.
As with all culture changes within a school system, the implementation of a comprehensive restorative justice system will take time. Establishing a process for suspension re-entry meetings, however, is a positive first step in that direction.
Resources
School Suspensions Lead to Stark Losses in Instructional Time | NEA
https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/school-suspensions-do-more-harm-good
Helping Students Return to Class After Discipline Issues | Edutopia
Welcome Back! – Helping Students Return After Suspension – Angels And Superheroes
https://www.sccoe.org/yhw/Documents/YHW%20Restorative%20Justice%20Toolkit-%20FINAL.pdf
https://www.restorativeresources.org/educator-toolkit.html
