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District makes restorative-practices reentry meetings mandatory after suspensions, expands training
Summary
District leaders described a districtwide restorative-practices program on July 22 that prioritizes relationship-building, morning meetings and restorative reentry circles for suspended students; administrators said building teams must be trained and staff will monitor fidelity.
District leaders described a districtwide restorative-practices program and training plan at the July 22 meeting, saying the district is emphasizing prevention through relationship building and making restorative reentry meetings mandatory for students suspended one or more days.
Executive Director Cottrell and the restorative-practices team outlined universal prevention strategies — morning meetings, academic circles, relationship-building activities and student "empathy ambassadors" — and said those approaches are tier-1 strategies meant to reduce misbehavior and support belonging. Cottrell emphasized that staff should "discipline with dignity," be self-aware about triggers and use restorative questioning such as "What happened?" rather than "Why did you do that?" when addressing incidents.
On the reactive side, Cottrell said restorative reentry circles and conferences will be used to repair harm after incidents. She told the board the district had trained building administrators and teams earlier in the year and had made reentry for suspensions mandatory so teams could pilot the process before the fall. Cottrell said administrators provided informal feedback that repeat incidents appeared less frequent anecdotally, but staff said quantitative outcomes would require more time and data to evaluate.
Brad Kelly, restorative coordinator, and other team members have led training; district staff said about 247 teachers and dozens of administrators and support staff have received training to date. Cottrell said the district will tighten implementation and fidelity monitoring, using monthly checks and continued training to address uneven adoption across campuses.
Board members praised the program's standardization and student participation; administrators said some students now request circles and some trained students help lead peer mediation. Cottrell cautioned that restorative practices are not appropriate in all cases — notably where harassment or assault victims do not wish to meet the alleged offender — and said the district avoids forced conferencing that could cause further harm.
Ending: District staff said they will continue training, monitor fidelity and collect outcome data to evaluate the effect of mandatory restorative reentry meetings and broader restorative practices across buildings.
