Restorative practices focus on repairing the distressed individual by rebuilding connectiveness through collaboration and communication. Restorative practices allow educators to advocate for change on a social justice framework. Student competencies in restorative practices help build character traits and meta-cognitive skills, and form relationships within the school community. Professional competencies include social justice, advocacy, and systemic change. Techniques include circle processes, peer mediation, and restitution. Positive changes can be presented to administrators or school boards as a way to advocate for the use of restorative practice. Griffin and Steen (2011) call for several concepts to be present for educators to advance their role in a social justice framework, including developing cultural competencies, using data, gaining allies, advocating for student needs, educating and empowering families, and staying politically active and persistent. Advocating for a systemic change to restorative practice contains components of promoting school counseling programs and practices that keep students in school and involve families and the community.
Utah State Board of Education Policy, Law and Professional Practices
When children fail to succeed, the whole community is harmed. Keeping students engaged in the classroom is fundamental to academic success. The use of punitive discipline practices that rely on suspension, expulsion, and other harsh consequences-often applied disproportionately to minority students-undermine the goal of success for all.
Positive School Discipline is a comprehensive approach that uses discipline to teach rather than punish and, as a result, helps students succeed and thrive in school. Schools that take this approach promote positive student behavior while preventing negative and risky behaviors.
Positive School Discipline is integrated into the policies, programs, and practices of a school and is applied system-wide-in the classroom, school, and community-to create a safe, supportive learning environment for all students.
Least Restrictive Behavioral Interventions provides guidance and information in creating successful behavioral systems and supports for both general and special education students. The manual covers additional resources and provides specific examples or step-by-step instructions for designing and implementing particular behavioral supports across multiple levels of both school systems and students' needs. Supportive school discipline is a systemic constellation of programs and practices that promote positive behaviors while preventing negative or risky behaviors.
Least Restrictive Behavioral Interventions (LRBI) Technical Assistance (TA) Manual
Utah State Board of Education Special Education Behavior
R277-613: LEA Bullying, Cyber-bullying, Hazing and Harassment Policies and Training
Title 53E-3-S401: Powers of State Board of Education, Adoption of Rules, Enforcement, Attorney
Title 53E-3-S402: Acceptance of Gifts, Endowments, Devises, and Bequests
Title 53E-3-S509: Gang Prevention and Intervention Policies
Title 53G-8-S202: Public School Discipline Policies, Basis of the Policies, Enforcement
Title 53G-8-S702: School Resource Officer Training, Curriculum