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Addressing Bullying with
Restorative Practices
Approximately 20% of students aged 12-18 experience bullying each year. Persistent bullying can cause young people to feel isolated, rejected, excluded. As we recognize National Bullying Prevention Month this October, we commit ourselves to keeping the school environment safe and bully-free.
In addition to working to identify and prevent bullying in schools, we must recognize the role that punishment plays in perpetuating bullying behaviors. Research shows that not only does punishment promote aggression, but that zero tolerance and exclusionary punishments like expulsion are largely ineffective. Schools can shift from punishment-driven models towards alternative methods of discipline. Using restorative justice to focus on mediation, agreement and growth can more effectively stop bullying while also creating a more inclusive and positive learning environment for all.
Systemic racism has resulted in racial disparities in student discipline and is another reason for schools to adopt restorative justice practices. Black students are more likely to be subject to harsher discipline at school, making up 16% of enrollment but accounting for 40% of suspensions nationally. Using restorative justice practices can work to bridge racial disparities in schools by reducing the disproportionate use of exclusionary discipline to instead address conflict with mediation and growth.
Explore this week’s resources to learn how to identify and prevent bullying in schools and how educators and other stakeholders can create bully-free environments for students through meaningful, strategic and productive interventions and approaches that center on restorative justice.
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