Azusa Unified highlights restorative practices and trauma-informed training in district presentation

Azusa Unified School District staff presented the district’s restorative-practices and trauma-informed care work to the Board of Education on Feb. 11, saying the initiatives are designed to improve school climate and student supports across grade levels.

Jenny Wiebe, Director of Community Schools, told the board restorative practices such as community circles and peer mediation are central tools to foster belonging and to repair harm. Wiebe said the work includes training for classified staff and teachers so the whole campus — secretaries, library aides, instructional aides and security staff — understands trauma-informed approaches.

Julie Lara, a special-education instructional aide at Paramount Elementary, described how the training has changed her daily practice: greeting students each day, offering restorative choices instead of punitive responses, and using positive language to create a safer classroom climate. Wiebe also summarized research by Dr. Dana Mitchell, who conducted 83 student and staff interviews; Wiebe read student comments describing community circles as a way to connect to peers and to address intergenerational trauma.

Board members applauded the presentation and asked the district to consider sharing the work more broadly. Board Member Grier suggested developing video or other media to explain restorative practices to parents and the community; other board members thanked staff for the work and recommended continuing community circles at school events such as coffee-with-the-principal.

No formal board action or policy change was taken at the presentation; the item was a report to the board. Staff said the district plans to continue training and expand restorative practices and trauma-informed care across sites.