Parental Advocacy Group Raises Concerns Over Popular Discipline Method Spreading Nationally
Parents Defending Education issued a cautionary report on the widespread use of “restorative justice” in schools. This approach, focusing on dialogue between wrongdoer and victim, is seen as potentially disruptive. With over 18,800 schools and 506 districts embracing such policies, concerns arise about classroom safety and discipline statistics manipulation. The group emphasizes the need for balance and effective discipline measures.
Parental rights group Parents Defending Education released a report on Monday warning about the widespread adoption of “restorative justice” disciplinary practices at schools, saying that the new policies may lead to dangerous and disruptive classrooms.
The report found that there are at least 18,808 schools across 506 school districts with restorative justice policies in place. Restorative justice policies in practice often focus on conversations between offender and victim in contrast to more traditional discipline techniques like suspension and expulsion.
“Restorative justice has proven to be a disaster for school safety and school culture,” Erika Sanzi, the director of outreach for Parents Defending Education, told The Daily Wire. “Are there minor infractions for which it can work? Sure. But in an effort to juke the discipline statistics and feel good about themselves, school districts have allowed their schools to get out of control in terms of defiance, disruption and even violence. It can’t continue.”
According to the report, there are at least 11,540,428 students who go to schools with restorative justice policies. Some of these students go to schools in conservative states like Alabama, Texas, and Tennessee.
“Restorative justice is a philosophy for student discipline where reconciliation between the offender and the victim is the ultimate goal,” the report explained. “In many school districts, restorative justice has REPLACED exclusionary discipline in schools, so the response to a violent action in class is not a suspension or expulsion, but to clear the classroom and have a restorative conference.”
Parents Defending Education found that districts in Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington, D.C., Wisconsin, and Wyoming all used restorative justice techniques.
The state with the most districts by far was California, with at least 335 districts having some guide of restorative justice practice in place.
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“In restorative justice, reconciliation, not punishment, is the goal. The ‘Western’ view of crime and punishment is thought to be a byproduct of colonialism,” Parents Defending Education President Nicki Neily posted on X. “This approach to discipline is failing students, teachers, and families.”
The organization noted that its list is not comprehensive and that there could be more school districts with similar policies across the country.
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