Classrooms are out of control in some of our schools in New Hampshire. So what happened? Why are so many parents in school districts like Keene (SAU29) talking about the lack of discipline in the schools? Some of these parents are asking why the restrooms are locked? Why can’t students use the restroom in their school?
Unfortunately education fads come and go. As an education researcher, I have seen failed fads come back years later only to fail again.
Restorative Justice may be a new fad that parents are hearing about. While this may work for some kids, it has created chaos in the classroom for many schools. It’s so bad in SAU29 that there is an Instagram account showing the fights between students that happen frequently.
Several months ago the district set up a school meeting with parents so they could share their concerns and frustrations. I watched the meeting, and felt parents believed that something would be done to address the problems. A few months later, parents are still frustrated by the chaos in the school.
What is going on?
There could be many reasons for this lack of discipline and consequences. In this video, you will hear a teacher describe how Restorative Justice has failed in his school. Is this the problem in SAU29? Maybe it’s time to start asking questions.
This new approach to bad behavior is negatively impacting the quality of education children are receiving in these schools. The teacher does go on to explain how this approach does have a positive side to it if implemented properly. Maybe there is some value within the program that can be extracted, but it makes you wonder how this is also failing in so many schools where it’s being implemented.
In this article, Restorative Circles are called out for being unethical, and have no place in a public school.
In the past decade, the role of the teacher in schools has slowly shifted from pedagogue to therapist. Perhaps the most glaring example of this shift is the practice called “circle conversations.” These circles are cousins of the non-punitive approach to discipline called restorative justice, and are intended to be community-building prophylactics.
I’ve touched on this shift of public schools into mental health clinics in the past. While school administrators sit in denial that they are treating, servicing and assessing the mental health of their students, many of us know exactly what is going on.
New Hampshire legislators have also stuck their nose in the discipline arena. In 2020 I warned that pending legislation would create a problem in our schools. HB1558 was signed into law, and one has to now wonder, is this new law helping to also create chaos in the classroom?
There could be many factors that are contributing to what this teacher in the video is describing as chaos. Near the end he talks about how this fad seems to be puttering out. Going back to the old way of making sure there are consequences to bad behavior is making more sense.
