Friday, June 20, 2014
NYC Preparing To Expand Restorative Justice Programs in Schools
NYC is poised to dramatically expand restorative justice programs aimed at improving school climate and rethinking school discipline next year.
As opposed to punitive policies like suspension, restorative justice programs such as peer mediation and student justice panels look to change students’ behaviors. Restorative practices often end with resolutions meant to repair relationships, like writing an apology note or helping out a teacher.
On Friday, a department spokeswoman said officials had been consulting with a number of organizations focused on school discipline, including Dignity in Schools. The New York chapter has been meeting monthly with the safety office to create a plan that would begin in January 2015, according to Elana Eisen-Markowitz, a teacher at the Urban Assembly Bronx Academy of Letters who attended the May meeting...