September 4, 2010. Florida Times-Union.
When a student gets in trouble, what comes next is usually detention or suspension – and potentially a trip to juvenile court.
But at two Duval County public schools, students who commit minor offenses like skipping class or disrespecting teachers will no longer be sent to the principal’s office.
They’ll instead have face-to-face meetings with victims, group discussions and a review from a peer-driven board in hopes of preventing more serious offenses.
“There’s often no understanding of how an offender’s actions have affected others,” said the Rev. Georgia Gaston, a member of the Interfaith Coalition for Action, Reconciliation and Empowerment, the group that brought the idea to the school district.
“But it goes beyond themselves and the victims,” Gaston said. “We’re hopeful that the person committing the disruptive behavior will have some idea as to how that is impacting the community.”
The pilot program will begin later this year at Englewood High School and its feeder school, Southside Middle. It’s based on the concept of “restorative justice,” an alternative to traditional punishment that focuses on how bad behavior affects the perpetrator, the victim and the community as a whole.
“The traditional administration system would have the sanction that could be detention or suspension,” said Sandra Pavelka, director of the Institute for Youth and Justice Studies at Florida Gulf Coast University and a consultant to Duval County Public Schools for the program.
Pavelka said the student accountability board deals individually with each youth. Often, students will be asked to make a written apology to people they’ve harmed, or do some community-service work. If a student also needs tutoring or counseling, referrals will be made.
Students committing more serious crimes, such as weapons offenses or gang activity, will still face traditional punishment, Pavelka said. The new program is intended to reach students teetering on the edge of more serious crime.
Lawrence Dennis, cluster chief for Duval County secondary schools, said Englewood and Southside were chosen because they’re diverse schools with typical disciplinary problems. Existing staff will be used to keep costs low.
If the program is successful in straightening out problem students, the district will consider rolling it out to other schools.
“I see this as a possibility of something of an intervention beyond what we normally do for a student conduct violation,” Dennis said.
The most effective restorative justice programs are the ones that go well beyond student discipline, said Bob Costello, director of training for the International Institute for Restorative Practices.
“If you’re merely responding differently to wrongdoing, you’re not fundamentally changing the culture of the building,” he said. “That’s not to say it’s a bad thing, but we shouldn’t have to wait for something to go wrong before we respond to people.”
Pavelka said the justice programs create a ripple effect within each school. Students who get involved as peer mediators, for example, usually see the benefits of developing leadership and conflict-resolution skills, she said.
“In restoring order to the schools, we’re encouraging participation and responsibility while embracing our community,” Pavelka said.
