Shifting from Zero Tolerance to Restorative Justice in Schools

Abstract

Many schools continue to have mandatory guidelines for dealing with a host of school behavioral problems that affect school climate and academic performance (Gonzalez, 2012). Even with the movement toward evidence-based methods and schoolwide intervention plans by related school services personnel, the disproportional suspension, expulsion, and referral to juvenile justice continues. The frequent reliance on suspension does not yield the benefits proponents often claim it does, neither for deterrence nor academic achievement (Skiba et al., 2003, p. 1). In fact, zero tolerance policies have been the catalyst for the school-to-prison pipeline, still occurring in many major metropolitan school districts throughout the United States (Fabelo et al., 2011; Gonzalez, 2012; Skiba et al., 2003). Researchers continue to question the need for zero tolerance policies and now charge that the cure all for school disciplinary problems needs replacing. A 10-year study of zero tolerance policies by the American Psychological Association concluded that the use of exclusionary policies did not improve school safety (Gonzalez, 2012). In a statewide investigation of the Texas public school system, tracking seventh- … Language: en