The end of ‘restorative discipline’? Parents, teachers are fed up

Due to things like ‘viewing class disruptions through a trauma-informed lens’

It appears parents and educators in the nation’s public school systems are starting to realize the degree of charlatanry associated with so-called “restorative discipline” practices.

A recent report out of Texas details how parents and community officials are questioning one district’s decade-long approach with such.

Restorative discipline (or “justice” or “practices”) is “founded on the belief that all children can behave appropriately with intervention,” and “encourages empathetic responses to misbehavior that reinforce better behaviors,” according to a report from KERA.

One parent said she was frustrated teachers don’t let her know about her child’s misbehavior until “something detrimental happens” — which is likely because they’re busy attempting various required interventions, as one teacher said.

As well-meaning as PBS (Positive Behavior Support, another fancy moniker for restorative practices) programs may be, there’s rarely enough follow-through or upkeep with the program. As more requirements are thrown at teachers, the less time they have to utilize the program’s approaches.

As such, the Lone Star State’s Arlington Independent School District began looking into its PBS program late last year for possible modifications.

MORE: Fed up with horrible student discipline, states bring back suspensions, expulsions

But district officials were still clueless.

A task force wanted to “retrain” teachers on PBS which included “viewing class disruptions through a trauma-informed lens, encouraging them to empathize with a student and their background when they misbehave.”

But school board member Melody Fowler said she was “weary of continuing to put training and responsibilities on teachers to deal with student behavior issues that stem from factors beyond their control.”

The report comes around the same time as a survey in which teachers said student misbehavior “continue[s] to plague schools” and incidents have “grown more serious” — which is “a key stressor and central reason” for teachers getting out of the profession.

An educator wrote in the survey “Our school is really struggling with student behaviors (lots of disrespect and not following the rules, and teachers are almost too tired to even care). We even had a [professional development] yesterday regarding some of that, and I don’t think any of the teachers left feeling hopeful or with anything they could take back [to] their classrooms.”

Like teachers, district and school administrators have to show results — “how they are growing,” so to speak. Unfortunately, this often means they’re be quick to follow the latest edu-fad coming down the pike (which typically comes from progressive researchers/professors), especially if they can use it toward their next certification or degree.

For them to advocate traditional, or “punitive,” discipline approaches would be unacceptable.

But some do buck the trend.

As one educator noted a few years back, “I’ve seen [restorative discipline] firsthand and it does NOT work. Kids learn to take advantage of it real quick. It was the norm at my last job and I got out as fast as I got in. [N]ew principal came this school year with a red column no-nonsense attitude and issues have dropped big time.”

“Restorative justice” was created for the perpetrators. Every single day badly behaved students exhaust teachers & take significant time away from my children’s learning. If we had the $$, we’d send to private for this reason alone.

— JS🎗️🇺🇸🇮🇱 (@JenniferSandem1) January 10, 2025