Fall / Winter 2006
Restorative Discipline Cuts Suspensions
Through restorative practices, a large Mennonite high school
in Pennsylvania has dramatically reduced its use of suspension
in response to disciplinary problems.
The number of suspensions at Lancaster Mennonite School (LMS) dropped from 106 in 1998-99 to 14 in 2002-03.
“We used to invest a lot of energy into the old model of punishment without seeing a lot of change,” said J. Richard Thomas, superintendent of the LMS system and a member of EMU’s board of trustees.
“Now within our restorative circles, the offenders look their victims in the eye, understand the harm they did, and deal with it. It’s tough, but it works. Hearts are repaired and lives are transformed.”
At LMS, the young offender and the victim sit in a circle together, along with their parents and a support person for each party, usually a friend. A member of the school staff, trained in facilitation, guides the conference.
Acknowledgement of Role
The conference begins with the offender’s acknowledgement of his or her part in the incident. After each participant has been given a chance to respond to set questions, the facilitator begins to guide the negotiation of restitution and reparation, asking the victim this question: “What would you like to get from today’s conference?”
All parties are welcome to discuss the desired outcome and ways to arrive at it. The conference is usually followed by socializing or communing over food.
“The students almost always promise that they won’t do the same thing again,” said Thomas. “With the help of the Holy Spirit their lives are transformed.”
To learn more about this model of restoring students to good behavior, read The Little Book of Restorative Discipline for Schools (Good Books, 2005) by Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz and Judy H. Mullet, EMU psychology professor.
The story about LMS and its success with restorative justice first appeared in the June 2005 issue of Atlantic Coast Current, with excerpts reprinted in the winter 2006 issue of the LMS newsletter Bridges. This article is derived from these sources.