Restorative Justice as an Anti-Bullying Initiative

Christy Norment
James Madison University



1. School Counseling Vision Statement

The school counseling program in any school is a critical component of student success. My
vision for an effective school counseling program is one that produces data-driven results in the career,
academic and personal/social domains of student development. The school counseling program will
achieve these results through alignment with the ASCA National Standards and the Virginia Standards
of Learning. All students will receive systematic and integrated proactive and responsive counseling
services that are differentiated for each students developmental level. The school-counseling program
will be data-driven and will assess and respond to the unique needs of its particular school community.
Students will be supported in all 3 domains through collaboration between the school counselor,
administration, faculty, family and the community. All school counselors will maintain ethical behaviors
at all times, as outlined in the ASCA Standard of Ethics. The barriers to student success will be
decreased through targeted advocacy measures, regardless of race, gender, disability, language spoken,
socioeconomic status, religion, or sexual orientation. These advocacy measures will support systemic
changes that need to take place in order to ensure that all students can thrive. The school counseling
program will generate regular feedback from all stakeholders and an outside entity through yearly
evaluations. The school counselor will use this feedback to inform future programming. School
counselors in the program will continually add to their knowledge base and stay current through
professional development activities and publications.

2. Topic

According to stopbullying.gov, the US Department of Health and Human Services anti-bullying
website (n.d), bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a
real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over
time. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically
or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose (The US Department of Health and
Human Services, n.d.), This kind of behavior has taken center stage in the minds of the public, parents,
educators and the media. As a school counselor, I plan to implement creative, constructivist programs
and activities to address interpersonal issues between students. I believe that students must be actively
involved in any learning process that they encounter, including the process of learning how to create
healthy relationships with peers and adults. Through the experience of respectfully and authentically
communicating with each other in a safe environment, students can learn the effect that they have on
others.
3. Historical Anti-Bullying Efforts

Since the first large-scale anti-bullying program was implemented in Norway in 1983, US
schools have implemented several programs of their own with results varying from effective to benign
to harmful (The Campbell Collaboration Crime and Justice Group, 2009). According to David
Farrington and Maria Ttofi in their review titled, School-Based Programs to Reduce Bullying and
Victimization (2009), many anti-bullying programs that have been implemented in US schools, seem
to have been based on commonsense ideas about what might reduce bullying rather than on empirically-
supported theories of why children bully, why children become victims, or why bullying events occur.
School Discipline researchers, such as Alfie Kohn, John Richie and David Wheeler point out that
throughout its history, the American public school system has favored punishment as its main
disciplinary feature (as cited in Amstutz & Mullet, 2005). Amstutz and Mullet, in their book,
Restorative Discipline for Schools, argue that punishment fails to teach the skills needed to
understand the meaning behind the rules (Amstutz & Mullet, 2005). Although this is the case, schools
continue to implement punishment, including suspension, as a disciplinary action. Punishment is quick,
easy, and serves as proof of a response. However, researchers such as the Center for the Prevention of
School Violence are finding that using suspension as a disciplinary action is ineffective at best. Many
feel that it is harming our most vulnerable students, calling it the school to prison pipeline. (as cited in
Amstutz & Mullet, 2005).
4. Intervention
In contrast to traditional, punitive disciplinary measures, restorative justice is a paradigm that
turns situations requiring discipline into opportunities for learning, growth, and community-building.
Restorative Justice principles maintain a focus on the harm that was done & the needs that result from
the harm. It utilizes collaboration between all involved in the situation in an attempt to put things right.
Restorative justice principles state that the school community is responsible for all of its members --
including the person who was harmed, (traditionally named the victim,) and the person who harmed,
(traditionally named the bully.) Restorative programs are rooted in respect so that respectful
relationships may flourish as a result.
One way to foster restorative principles in a school is through the engaging in restorative circles.
When implemented in the context of an elementary school counseling program, circles can take place
during weekly guidance lessons as a proactive anti-bullying measure.
Each week, students will sit in a circle in the school counselors classroom. The school counselor
will serve as the circle keeper in the early stage. During the beginning phases of the group, students
will collaboratively create guidelines for the group based on their values. Students will practice effective
communication skills in discussing their experiences and opinions.
The counselor will introduce circle time as a place where they can listen to and understand each
other. In order for that to happen, everyone must feel safe in expressing themselves honestly. In order
for that to happen, everyone needs to treat others according to how they want to be treated according
to their best values. Each group will create guidelines for circle time and the circle keeper commits to
holding the group accountable to the guidelines.
Each circle will have an opening ceremony, main activity, and a closing ceremony. It is up to the
circle keeper and the group to create their unique vision and form of these elements. Many circle
keepers choose to use a talking piece that is passed around to indicate whose turn it is to talk.
The opening ceremony serves as a time for everyone to check-in and leave their baggage at
the door. Many practices can serve to create this experience, from mindful breathing to readings to
songs to guided visualizations. The opening ceremony serves as a reminder of the guidelines that the
group put in place so that the members can bring their best selves to the circle.
It is during the main activity of the circle that students have a chance to communicate with each
other and share who they are in the most meaningful ways. During this time, the circle keeper can guide
students in dealing with issues such as threats, rumors, physical or verbal attacks, exclusion and other
forms of power-imbalance and aggression that encompass bullying behaviors. In the context of safety of
the circle, students can learn to use I statements to talk about their experiences in a general way
without pointing fingers. Students have an opportunity to learn the effect that they have on others when
they engage in these kinds of activities. They learn, through practice, how to solve problems between
one another. Students learn how to make things right when they have harmed another person.
Circles also serve as a proactive measure against bullying behaviors. As students share their
stories and opinions in this orderly and reflective way each week, they begin to build empathy and
understanding for one another. As their relationships strengthen over time, students become less likely
to engage in hurtful behaviors.
The final phase of each circle is the closing ceremony. A common closing ceremony is one
where students share meaningful compliments with one another. This can be accomplished by having
each student compliment the person to their left or right. By identifying strengths in one another,
students begin to see the best in each other which strengthens their relational bonds. Sharing
compliments can also serve to bolster the self esteem and sense of belonging of the group members.
This can further reduce the likelihood of bullying behaviors since students who engage in these
behaviors are often longing for a sense of connection with peers.
To measure the effectiveness of these circles at a programmatic level, I would survey the
students and teachers on their perceptions of their relationships and on the type and frequency of
bullying behaviors they are experiencing, witnessing and/or engaging in before, during, and after
implementation of the circles. If I saw an increase in areas such as caring, respect and feeling listened-to
and a decrease in bullying behaviors, I would know that this program is effective as an anti-bullying
measure. Through these surveys, I would be able to look at the relationships and behavioral trends of the
school community and/or the changes in perceptions and behaviors of individual students.

5. ASCA/VA SOL Standards

VA SOLs (Guidance)
HC1. Understand the value of ethical standards and behaviors in education and the workplace,
HC7. Demonstrate employability skills such as individual initiative, teamwork, problem solving,
organization, and communication,
HP1. Understand the relationship among, and importance of respecting rules, laws, safety, and the
protection of individual rights,
MP5. Demonstrate appropriate skills for interactions with adults and developing and maintaining
positive peer relationships,
MP6. Use appropriate communication and conflict resolution skills with peers and adults

ASCA Standards

PS:A1.2 Identify values, attitudes and beliefs
PS:A1.5 Identify and express feelings
PS:A1.6 Distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate behavior
PS:A1.7 Recognize personal boundaries, rights and privacy needs
PS:A1.8 Understand the need for self-control and how to practice it
PS:A1.9 Demonstrate cooperative behavior in groups
PS:A1.11 Identify and discuss changing personal and social roles
PS:A2.1 Recognize that everyone has rights and responsibilities
PS:A2.2 Respect alternative points of view
PS:A2.3 Recognize, accept, respect and appreciate individual differences
PS:A2.4 Recognize, accept and appreciate ethnic and cultural diversity
PS:A2.6 Use effective communications skills
PS:A2.7 Know that communication involves speaking, listening and nonverbal behavior
PS:A2.8 Learn how to make and keep friends

VA SOL (academic)
History & Social Sciences 1.10
The student will apply the traits of a good citizen by
a) focusing on fair play, exhibiting good sportsmanship, helping others, and treating others
with respect;
b) recognizing the purpose of rules and practicing self-control;
c) working hard in school;
d) taking responsibility for ones own actions;
e) valuing honesty and truthfulness in oneself and others;
f) participating in classroom decision making through voting.

6. Delivery to Diverse Learners

Restorative justice practices and principles are particularly effective with a culturally and
linguistically diverse student populations since it creates a safe environment for students to learn about,
understand, and celebrate their differences and similarities (Honigsfeld & Cohan 2012). Restorative
circles are no exception to this. The fostering of cultural understanding is an inherent component of
restorative circles, since it gives everyone involved a chance to share who they are. By creating a safe,
respectful place to bring their truest selves, restorative circles provide a stage for students to share each
others abilities and disabilities, families, ethnic culture, sexual orientations, religions, and any other
component of their lives that makes them who they are.
Some challenges could require special consideration when implementing a circle. If a member of
the circle does not share the same language with the rest of the group, this could create a barrier to
understanding. In this case, a school interpreter could prove beneficial. For some students, behavioral
issues could detract from their ability to engage in circle time. In many cases, the student having
difficulties could work with the group to brainstorm ideas of how the group can support them in
maintaining appropriate behaviors during the circle. However, in cases where this kind of intervention is
insufficient, an additional adult may need to accompany the student to the circle to help them abide by
the agreed-upon guidelines of the group.


























References:

Amstutz, L., & Mullet, J. H. (2005). The little book of restorative discipline for schools :
teaching responsibility, creating caring climates. Intercourse, PA : Good Books.

Honigsfeld, A., & Cohan, A. (2012). Breaking the mold of education for culturally and
linguistically diverse students : innovative and successful practices for the twenty-first century / [edited
by] Andrea Honigsfeld and Audrey Cohan. Lanham, Md. : Rowman & Littlefield Education.

Kohn, A. (1996). Beyond discipline: From compliance to community. Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

The Campbell Collaboration Crime and Justice Group. (2009). School-based programs to reduce
bullying and victimization. Fairfax, VA: Farrington, D.P. & Ttofi, M.M.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). What is bullying? Retrieved from
http://www.stopbuyllying.gov/what-is-bullying/index.html

Wheeler, J.J. & Richey, D.D. (2004). Behavior Management: Principles and practices of
positive behavior supports. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.