School Based Restorative
Justice Programing
Our program began as a pilot at Madison’s LaFollette High school in 2010.
Each year, we have grown and changed to meet the needs of our partner schools.
Student training—We deliver a 9-lesson Restorative Justice Class for students in schools. This training includes lessons on restorative justice, the school-to-prison pipeline, examining privilege and oppression, empathy, consensus decision-making, and more. After students graduate, they become “Circle Keepers”. Circle Keepers are active leaders in their school communities, facilitating restorative justice circles both in classrooms and with individuals or small groups of their peers. Circle Keepers continue to meet as a group in bi-weekly Restorative Justice Clubs, where they deepen their exploration of social justice topics and continue to develop community within the school and with each other, leadership, advocacy, and social and emotional skills.
Staff training—In addition to our 3-day Restorative Justice Training Series offered at YWCA, we provide ongoing professional development and staff support at some of our partner schools in order to facilitate the whole school’s transition to a restorative approach.
Restorative justice circles—We use circles in school to resolve conflict, engage in accountability, and provide support for students and/or staff. We also use circles in classrooms to build community, create shared values & guidelines, and resolve whole-class issues.
Current partner schools:
Madison Metropolitan School District
Black Hawk Middle School
Cherokee Heights Middle School
James C. Wright Middle School
Monona Grove School District
Interested in bringing restorative justice programming to your school? Contact Eugenia Highland, Restorative Justice Director, for more information.
MG21 Liberal Arts Charter School
School-to-Prison Pipeline ↘
In the United States, the school-to-prison pipeline (SPP), also known as the school-to-prison link or the schoolhouse-to-jailhouse track, is the disproportionate tendency of minors and young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds to become incarcerated, because of increasingly harsh school and municipal policies.
The Advancement Project: What is the School-to-Prison Pipeline?
The Advancement Project: Education on Lockdown: The Schoolhouse-to-Jailhouse Track
The American Civil Liberties Union: Dignity Denied: The Effect of Zero Tolerance Policies on Students’ Human Rights
The American Civil Liberties Union: Talking Points: The School-to-Prison Pipeline
The American Civil Liberties Union: The Schools for All Campaign: The School Bias and Pushout Problem
The Children’s Defense Fund: America’s Cradle-to-Prison Pipeline
The Children’s Defense Fund: Cradle-to-Prison Pipeline Factsheet
The Children’s Defense Fund: Wisconsin Cradle-to-Prison Pipeline Factsheet
Dane County Juvenile Justice Disproportionate Minority Contact Solutions Workgroup Report
Impacts of the School to Prison Pipeline (PowerPoint Presentation)
NAACP Legal Defense Fund: Dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline
School-to-Prison Reform Project (PowerPoint Presentation)
Zero Tolerance Policy ↘
Zero tolerance policies are harsh disciplinary policies that contribute to the School-to-Prison Pipeline by criminalizing students and pushing them out of school. The “school-to-prison pipeline” refers to the policies and practices that push students, especially at-risk students, out of classrooms and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems.
The Advocacy Action Team is working to address school disciplinary policies such as suspensions and expulsions, and its disproportionate impact on students of color. Currently, we are reviewing Madison Metropolitan School District’s code of conduct policies and comparing it to more effective policies from around the country such as the Model Code on Education and Dignity. Our hope is to promote greater community awareness on the harsh impact of discipline policies on students of color and low-income students in the Madison School District. We are also continuing our work with the YWCA’s Restorative Justice Program in promoting policies that would eliminate school pushout and protect the student rights to a quality education.
Why focus on Zero Tolerance Policies?
The “school-to-prison pipeline” refers to the policies and practices that push students, especially at-risk students, out of classrooms and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems.
Zero-tolerance policies automatically impose severe punishment on students regardless of individual circumstances. Under these policies, students have been expelled for nonviolent and minor offenses including tardiness, dress code infractions, leaving the classroom without a pass.
Suspensions and expulsions often leave students unsupervised and without constructive activities which can further impact their academic success. Students can easily fall behind in their coursework, leading to a greater likelihood of disengagement and school drop-outs.
Students who enter the school-to-prison pipeline find themselves in juvenile detention facilities with limited access to quality educational services. It becomes even more difficult for the vast majority of these students to re-enter traditional schools and eventually graduate from high school.
Students with disabilities and students of color, especially African American and Latino students, are far more likely than their white peers to be suspended, expelled, or arrested for similar conduct at school. This further increases the disproportionality that already exists within the juvenile justice system.
Watch this video to learn more
Additional zero tolerance resources.
Get Involved
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Request for training
Thanks for your interest in deepening your knowledge in Restorative Justice , please send a brief description of your workshop and training needs via email to our curator and we’ll get back to you as soon as we are able to.
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