On January 23rd, about 40 school administrators, teachers and wellness coordinators came together to deepen their understanding of Restorative Justice Practice (RJP) to create a healthier school environment, increase graduation rates and address disproportionality in schools’ discipline outcomes. Health Policy and Planning has been working closely with the San Mateo County Office of Education to support implementation of RJP in schools across the county. Restorative justice is a powerful discipline approach that focuses on repairing harm through inclusive processes that engage all impacted stakeholders. Implemented well, RJP shifts the focus of discipline from punishment to learning and from the individual to the community. At the meeting, we shared a draft of a blueprint for implementing a strong RJP at the school, district and county levels.

Our School Wellness Alliance meeting on March 1st will feature the final blueprint and speaker Dr. Martha Merchant from UCSF HEARTS (Healthy Environments and Response to Trauma in Schools), who will highlight the importance of bringing a trauma-informed lens to schools that are implementing RJP. Please make sure to register for the March 1st School Wellness Alliance meeting by clicking here. We hope to see you there!