DRJ offers a grassroots, organic, and educationally sound partnership with schools, allowing DRJ to work collaboratively with each school’s needs in order to train, support, and coach building restorative schools.
- Encourage the use of Restorative Practices in schools for both students and faculty & staff (which can lead to positive school culture), and promote the use of restorative discipline policies that may, potentially, not separate youth from school community (e.g. out of class, at home suspensions, etc.), while holding youth accountable and still remain connected to school;
- Support schools that are interested, have begun, or are in the process of making the transition toward a restorative approach school-wide. Problem behaviors that can lead to suspension, such as truancy, disruptive behaviors, substance use, stealing or fighting, are very often indicators of deeper underlying problems. Restorative Practices can address problem behavior from escalating into suspensions, expulsions and criminal charges. This approach offers a structure for assessing the needs of the youth(s) and school community while addressing the root causes of problem behaviors;
- Have a school referral process that addresses harm, directly and immediately when addressing behaviors in which there is harmful impact on self or others. (If an incident becomes a juvenile charge, these cases often don’t get referred to DRJ until two months after the fact by the courts).