Teacher Renee Thomas speaks to the San Diego Unified Board of Education about the Exemplary Teacher Advisory Council’s findings regarding restorative justice practices.
Credit: Thomas Courtney
A change has come to my classroom, and I didn’t even know it.
While I’ve been busy teaching, California passed Senate Bill 274 expanding the prohibition of suspensions for low-level defiance behaviors to higher grades. I had no idea, nor did any of the colleagues I’ve spoken to recently.
Perhaps that is because my school is in the San Diego Unified School District. Along with other districts like Los Angeles Unified, we’ve been focused on restorative practices, instead of punitive ones (like suspending students) for nearly a decade. At my school, for example, we have an amazing counselor and a part-time restorative justice lead.
But I’ve learned recently that my experience isn’t normal. Many schools do not…
