Restorative Discipline

The number of schools that have School Resource Officers (SROs) has grown dramatically over the past decades despite the fact that research and recent events prove that SROs and constables do not make schools safer. In fact, according to Federal Civil Rights data, Delaware students attending schools with police are eight times more likely to be arrested than students attending schools without police.

SROs often have little to no training or experience in dealing with children, which can lead to serious consequences, for minor infractions. Students are removed from classes, subjected to physical restraint, interrogation, and other risks to their rights to education, due process, and equal treatment. The over-criminalization of learning environments only fuels that “school-to-prison pipeline”, and disproportionately impacts Black and brown children who often experience harsher discipline than their white counterparts.

Too often, schools don’t address the underlying problems that may be impacting students. Students could be struggling with a disability or experiencing poverty, abuse, or neglect and the emotions and problems these issues can bring can cause a student to act out. But punishing a student for something that is ultimately out of their control isn’t fair and instead can compound the problem.

School boards have the power to invest in restorative discipline practices that build safer and more inclusive school environments that are not rooted in fear and bias but instead nurtures and values all of our children. We need school board members who are ready to fund preventative, trauma-informed interventions, such as social workers, school counselors, psychologists, and other mental health professionals.