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Q&A
Positive impacts of restorative justice programs in schools
7:44:33
ยท
103 sec
Council Member Rita Joseph asks students about the positive impacts of restorative justice programs in their schools. Students share their experiences with such programs and their benefits.
- One school implemented a peer mediation program, resulting in fewer fights and lower suspension rates
- Another school promotes events and programs to encourage student involvement and interaction across grade levels
- Students report feeling more comfortable approaching peers or counselors to discuss their issues
Rita Joseph
7:44:33
What have you seen in the positive have you seen as the positive impacts of restorative justice programs in your school?
Nora A.
7:44:41
I can start.
7:44:42
So we have our restorative justice counselor, she promotes events for students to come and we also have our like program organizer, they try to get students involved with school but also to get students involved with each other.
7:44:59
We have some programs that are like between grades, so we get to like meet with other students, and also we have oh, I forgot.
7:45:12
Yeah.
7:45:12
That's all.
Yvel Nunez
7:45:13
Yeah.
7:45:14
My school has implemented a peer mediation program that I have started with my dean.
7:45:22
At the beginning of this year, a lot of the freshmen were having fights for apparent no reason according to the SSA agents and some teachers.
7:45:32
So we just decided to like during lunch or maybe when they had, like, a advisory class, we would, like, ask them if they could talk to us.
7:45:39
That started up in mid November, I think.
7:45:45
So far, we haven't had a single fight after the one that happened in December, and students are comfortable coming up to us.
7:45:53
Suspension rates are have lower.
7:45:55
I have, like, three, four freshmen that whenever they feel like they need to, like, push their anger out on something, they would come up to me and just talk and, like, just come as like a friend to me.
7:46:06
So like in my opinion it has worked.
7:46:08
I see the change in money of the students who have been suspended in the past and it's just like a better environment so far.
7:46:16
Yeah.