Through a joint effort between South Royalton School administration and staff and the Vermont Department of Corrections, eighteen high school students are trained to be restorative justice panel members. Restorative Justice is an option for some student discipline cases (i.e. property damage, minor thefts, and minor physical or verbal conflicts and/or graffiti).  South Royalton School faculty and staff are aware that some traditional disciplinary actions prove to be unsuccessful at producing a positive change within certain individuals.

What is a Restorative Justice Panel meeting?

When school rules have been broken and harm has been done, a panel meeting allows the people who have been affected to come together and discuss what has happened.  The person who has done the harm must agree to take responsibility before the panel meeting can take place.  Once this occurs, the meeting allows the person/s who caused the harm to gain further understanding of the harm done. The victim(s) has the opportunity to explain how the harm done has impacted him/her and the school. All parties involved work together to find ways to repair the harm done and to prevent future harm.  If the person(s) harmed does not want to participate in a panel, the case is handled by the school administration.

Who is included in the panel meeting?

The panel includes student volunteers, teachers and community members.  A student acts as the panel leader and facilitates the panel meeting.  A student also acts as a recorder by taking notes and writing down information to be used for the contract.  Those present at the meeting are panel members, the person/s who caused the harm and the person/s harmed.  Supporters that have been chosen by the respective parties also attend.

What happens during a panel meeting?

All participants are given an opportunity to explain what took place at the time of the incident and what has happened since. It is important that everyone involved has clear understanding of the impact of what took place.  Panel members and all participants decide what needs to be done to repair the harm done.  When an outcome is reached, the recorder writes up the contract and a date is set for the next meeting.  At the follow-up meeting, the case is reviewed by the panel members and the parties report back for a discussion on how matters have been resolved.  If all agree that the contract has been fulfilled, the panel and the participants celebrate the restored relationship.  If the contract has not been fulfilled, and there are valid reasons for this, time may be extended for contract completion.  Otherwise, the case would be referred back to the school administration.

Sources:

Windsor High School Restorative Panel; Randolph Union High School Restorative Panel

Thanks to: Bob Carchman and Carl Roof, Department of Corrections South Royalton school faculty and staff, and the involved parents of South Royalton, VT