For the sake of not being redundant, please first read my posts about Restorative Justice and Behavioral Issues in Delaware schools
Table of Contents:
What is Restorative Practice?
Native American Peacemaking Circles
Restorative Justice is bases upon the ancient Native American tribal tradition of the ‘Peacemaking Circle ' where all involved parties of a crime, tribal leaders, and others close to both the victim and criminal gather in a circle passing around a sacred item such as a ‘talking stick', taking turns talking about the incident. This method relies heavily on spirituality.
While this may work in a closed self-governing tribal community, it is not practical in a free & spiritually diverse community.
Through restoration of the victim, the offender makes good on his crime and restores himself to a noncriminal.
Native American circles relies heavily on restoring “Harmony & Balance” through the understanding of the high value assigned to ‘the perfect state of harmonic balance’ - solidarity with one's family, others, and the physical environment. Harmony cannot exist when some people violate the rights of others. When this happens, both victim and offender must be brought back into harmony through the use of ceremony and reparations.1
When asked for the way to measure the results of ‘restorative justice’ programs in tribal communities, Navajo Chief Justice Yazzie once replied, “The sun will be brighter” (Gorczyk, 1996)2
I can tell you, our Nation most certainly does not shine ‘brighter'.
Modern restorative justice incorporates diverse cultural perspectives and legal frameworks; eg - critical race/gender theory; whereas Native American tribal circles often emphasize communal accountability, consensus-building, and spirituality in their approaches to conflict resolution.
Native American peacemaking circles are rooted in tribal tradition and function as a community-based approach to conflict resolution and healing. Here's how they typically work:
Gathering: Participants gather in a circle, often seated on the ground or in a ceremonial space. The circle represents equality, respect, and interconnectedness among participants.
Opening Ceremony: The circle begins with a ceremonial opening, which may involve prayers, songs, or rituals to invoke spiritual guidance and set the tone for the proceedings.
Talking Piece: A symbolic object, known as the talking piece, is passed around the circle. Only the person holding the talking piece has the right to speak, ensuring that everyone has an opportunity to be heard without interruption.
Sharing: Participants share their perspectives, feelings, and experiences related to the conflict or issue at hand. Emphasis is placed on active listening, empathy, and understanding each other's viewpoints.
Consensus-Building: Through dialogue and discussion, participants work towards consensus on how to address the harm, restore relationships, and prevent future conflicts. This may involve brainstorming solutions, making reparations, or creating action plans for reconciliation.
Closure: Once consensus is reached, the circle concludes with a closing ceremony, which may include prayers, expressions of gratitude, or rituals to signify the resolution of the conflict and the restoration of harmony within the community.
Follow-Up: In some cases, follow-up meetings or support systems may be established to ensure that agreements are upheld, relationships continue to heal, and the community remains connected.
Native American peacemaking circles prioritize community involvement, collective decision-making, and holistic approaches to justice that address the emotional, spiritual, and social dimensions of conflict resolution.
When that element of spirituality is removed, there is nothing to bind the resolution, and it just falls apart as seen in the restorative practices used in government schools and criminal justice systems today.
Delaware ACLU 10 Year Study
Delaware ACLU, Charter Schools of New Castle County announce results of 10 year restorative education practices study3
October 4, 2023 | WMDT
Since the implementation of the inclusive school model, CSNC has seen a significant reduction in suspension rates, and positive outcomes in students’ sense of belonging, personal academic abilities, and perceptions of teachers and school staff as allies and resources including a consistent 2 percent suspension rate compared to statewide figures that range from 15 to 19 percent when compared to charter and public schools respectively.
There are so many things inconsistent with that initial statement. The metric they use for “success” does not equate to real world success. For example, there has been a significant reduction in suspension rates, but that is to be expected when it is encouraged to not issue suspensions or other ‘traditional' disciplinary actions.
“positive outcomes in students’ sense of belonging, personal academic abilities, and perceptions of teachers and school staff as allies”
What exactly is a “Positive outcome in a student's sense of belonging?” How is that measured when students are being told that that they do not belong because of circumstances outside of their control? Race, sex, & poverty should never be used as criteria to say a child “does not belong". This is all based on an ideology set to divide.
“…perceptions of teachers and school staff as allies” Students do not need to perceive their teachers as “allies”. They are not there to be their ‘BFF'. They need to see teachers as a figure of academic stature with the singular goal of educating students. To that, they are failing, miserably!
The ACLU does not hold the stature & credibility it once had as a champion of civil liberties. In fact, it's left wing progressive bias has has been on full display for years now. The same goes for the Southern Poverty Law Center. (SPLC).
In fact, the SPLC is so unbelievable biased that a Delaware class that teaches the United States Constitution and the history of it's creation, is labeled by the SPLC as Anti-Government; and to an extend, they would be correct. The constitution expressly enumerates the very limited power of the Federal government.
But to call the ‘Institute on the Constitution' a HATE GROUP is downright deceptive Anti-American gaslighting!
The ACLU has lost integrity & credibility.
ACLU proves yet again it’s a guardian of left-wing agenda4
the ACLU, which bills itself as “our nation’s guardian of liberty,” would more accurately be described as the guardian of a far-left progressive agenda
The ACLU is a private organization and, as such, it can of course pick and choose the people it decides to represent in court. It has no legal obligation to represent anyone. But the unvarnished truth is that the organization cannot any longer pretend to be “the guardian of liberty.” It is very, very selective in the liberties it is willing to guard.
It hails itself as a defender of the right of “everyone” to free speech, but if you want to exercise that right while lawfully carrying a gun, don’t rely on the ACLU. It claims to defend religious freedom, but if you’re a baker whose religion does not allow you to bake a cake for a same-sex marriage celebration, you will find the ACLU on the other side of the courtroom representing the same-sex couple suing you. And the organization insists that it violates free speech to punish a businessperson for boycotting Israel, but it doesn’t violate free speech to punish a businessperson for boycotting people of a particular race, religion or ethnicity.
An evolving article by 𝕏 Crisis in the Classroom investigating any connection between use of restorative practices and "the unprecedented behavioral chaos being seen in schools," with PDE5 claiming such practices have "replaced exclusionary discipline" in many districts.
Hundreds of US school districts using 'restorative justice,' parent group finds
A report published by the National Institutes of Health in 2022 says restorative justice practices are often used to "reduce racial disparities." However, it notes there is little evidence demonstrating how successful they are in addressing the root of such disparities
Senseless Violence
Senseless attacks like these are now commonplace in schools across the country.
As we can see, once again, woke practices and academic failure erodes the moral civility of the students
I can go on & on giving examples, but it's nothing that a inquisitive mind can't find themselves by doing a simple search online. In fact, there are groups on 𝕏 dedicated to school fights. You can even find groups specific to Delaware school districts! You will find many videos of students attacking teachers, throwing chairs, flipping desks, etc.
I've seen the video of a Springer Middle School principal on the floor getting kicked by students while attempting to break up a fight! Yes, the same principal who Brandywine School District told parents FELL, and was taking out by paramedics! 6
Violence on the Homefront
As in the example from Springer Middle School I shared above, violence in Delaware schools has reached unprecedented levels.
At an ‘Education Freedom' event7 last October, Dr. Beth Conaway, a retired school administrator at school districts in southern Delaware, talks about the struggle to maintain order in the classroom in today's world.
This Laurel Middle School Mother Speaks Out Against School Violence in Delaware Public Schools after her daughter suffered a traumatic brain injury from the violence at school.
Her statement to me was “I will speak up for the children even if it means it jeopardizes a settlement. No amount of money will make my daughter the way she was. If I can prevent one more child from enduring what she has endured , I don’t care about the settlement.”
Now THAT is an honest & honorable show of integrity!
More recently, there was an incident at Brandywine High School, involving a threat to murder students!
There was a recent incident with a student who posted a threat on social media. From my understanding, the threat was another student threatening to kill other students, but the student who posted a video of the threat is the one who is removed from the school! I am told Brandywine High School has a strict social media policy regarding recording and sharing videos, but from what I have gathered, it is the child who posted the video who is considered making the "terroristic threats" as opposed to the student who actually made the threats!
In fact, Brandywine High School immediately sent out a letter to parents telling then “We are confident that there is not, nor was there, any threat to the safety of our students and staff.”
Here is the original video that was posted. Yes, you can claim it violated BSD's social media policy, but you can not claim there was no threat!
"You're going to kill me?“Yea""Please tell me you're joking""I'm not joking"I heard from a mother who reached out that there is a report against this same student for looking up guns on a school computer. The school would not verify the validity of this claim. In fact, quite a few parents have similar stories of discipline issues leading to violence, threats, & bullying within the Brandywine school district.
The school should be a safe location for students, but many students do not feel safe, causing unnecessary angst. What is really troubling is what appears to be a lack of concern for a student who threatened to kill other students, and possibly even was looking up guns on the school computer!
This all sounds ominous to every school shooting where the signs were in plain sight but people chose to look away.
To my knowledge, there has not been a public statement beyond the initial letter of unconcern from Brandywine High School. I would like to believe the school would not intentionally disregard serious threats against students, but from all that I have heard, this seems to be exactly what has happened.
Monday, March 18, 2024 at 7pm will be the next Brandywine School District School Board Meeting since this event occurred. The meeting will be held at Brandywine High School.
Please show up to show support against the violence & threats happening in our schools.
Additional Information
With school board elections nearing, see where your candidates stand on the issues that align with your values. Citizens for Delaware Schools has released their 2024 Voter Guide.
NEW REPORT! CHARTER SCHOOL OF NEW CASTLE (CSNC): MODEL FOR CREATING AN INCLUSIVE SCHOOL CLIMATE8
🚨It takes a Village:🚨 Addressing Discipline Disparities Through the Inclusive School Model
All of Delaware’s students deserve a safe, equitable, and quality education, but schools in our state and across the country have a long way to go before we make that vision a reality. Currently, 69 percent of all out-of-school suspensions in Delaware are for minor issues, and Black students and students with disabilities are two to three times more likely to receive a suspension
Courage is a Habit has created this awesome new SEL resource guide, which is among the many other descriptive & easy to comprehend guides available on their website.
