Restorative Practices @ the Dean’s Office
At Invictus Academy of Richmond, we are dedicated to implementing behavioral plans through a restorative practices approach that inform, educate, and provide growth opportunities for students as an alternative to using punitive actions. This approach is woven into the foundation of our school model and structured to work with the students - and all who are impacted by their actions - with a goal of bringing us together as a community.
Supporting Our Community
“In a school like ours, it’s really important that we always rely on a restorative approach because we are surrounded by a community and a lot of structure that resorts heavily on traditional discipline. When we look at those models, we know that they set students up for the school to prison pipeline. We started Invictus so we can steer our community away from that experience and change the trajectory of young people of color from low income neighborhoods” said our Senior Associate Dean of Students, Jeffrey Martinez.
What are Restorative Practices?
As defined by the International Institute for Restorative Practices: “The aim of restorative practices is to develop community and to manage conflict and tensions by repairing harm and building relationships.”
Restorative practices are often misunderstood and misapplied as they require a more rigorous implementation than traditional discipline when applied correctly. In the Restorative Practices Handbook, it states that students will often request traditional discipline instead of a restorative approach because it's easier to serve a detention than engage thoughtfully in a conference, complete service work, or interact with someone you may have harmed.
Restorative Practices at Invictus
At Invictus, we have invested in restorative practice including one-of-a-kind, innovative approaches which data have shown to be positively impacting school culture. On average, student issues with behavior and discipline decline the longer a student has been at Invictus. Our approach addresses the conflict immediately and a community effort to repair relationships begins which is more rigorous than a traditional punishment.
Original Library of Restorative Practices
We have developed an original catalogue of resources and assignments to offer our students, rooted in restorative practices and protocols. Each assignment or resource is specific to the situation in order to best meet the current development and needs of each student. Our variety of assignments address a wide range of behavioral situations such as cheating, fighting, or harmful language.
Time at the Dean’s Office
When a student is referred to the Dean’s Office at Invictus, it doesn’t mean isolating or being turned away. We provide a space for the student to reflect, work through a restorative assignment specific to their situation, and offer support if they need it. This is followed up with a 1:1 conversation with a staff member in the Dean’s office to support the student’s reflection on the following questions:
What happened?
What were you thinking or feeling at the time?
Who was impacted and how?
What could have been done differently?
What needs to happen now to make things right?
Example: A Restorative Practice for the Threat or Use of Violence
At Invictus, we take a firm but restorative approach to the threat or actual use of violence. Issues of this kind have become extremely rare as a result of our actions. If a student engages in a threat or use of violence against another student, the student takes part in a multi-step learning process to reflect on the behavior and learn from the mistake. This begins with the student watching a Ted Talk by Richmond community activist Sam Vaughn. Vaughn reflects on the hardships his use of violence caused him in his life and shares the way in which these hardships inspired him to devote himself to antiviolence activism. Students answer questions in writing and share their own learnings with the Dean of Students in a 1:1 conversation.
Next, the student completes a reading assignment studying the biological and physiological triggers for violence as well as concrete steps that can be taken to manage these triggers. The student again reflects and writes a commitment to techniques or strategies they will utilize to manage the triggers that may have affected them in their own situation. A staff member in the Dean’s office ensures the work is thorough and engages in a final 1:1 dialogue encouraging verbal reflection before the student moves on.
Finally, the student prepares for a restorative conference with whomever it was that they threatened or engaged with in violence, preparing written answers to the questions from the Restorative Practices Handbook. A conference is facilitated between the two parties by a staff member from the Dean’s Office, and the two students record a joint video statement sharing their learnings, reflections, and commitments moving forward. This video is shared with all Invictus students during an Advisory lesson, ensuring that the full school community understands that Invictus is a place where violence is not the answer.
The work that students must do to repair the harm caused by their actions (which results in the breaches of school safety) requires much more effort and thought than a typical out-of-school suspension. Students may still temporarily lose privileges at school but our team is thoughtful about including students in this conversation so they understand the rationale behind any consequences assigned.
All are Welcome Here
We welcome all students from all backgrounds at Invictus and we keep enrollment open year-round. Regardless of past history or experience, we prepare 100% of students in grades 7-12 to thrive in the colleges of their choice, solve relevant problems, and communicate with confidence.
Every learning style and every student is welcome here. Invictus is a safe space with numerous resources embedded in every aspect of our school model. Our instructional model, our cultural model, and our operations models are all founded on restorative approaches.
Call us at 510-994-0888, take our virtual tour here or visit our admissions page here.
Begin your student’s journey with Invictus today. Enrolling Now for Grades 7-10.
Information available on grades 11 & 12 for interested families.
ABOUT INVICTUS
Invictus Academy of Richmond prepares 100% of students in grades 7-12 to thrive in the colleges of their choice, solve relevant problems, and communicate with confidence. Founded in 2018 with a dedication to uplifting students in the Richmond, CA community, Invictus earned recognition in 2020 for its students making some of the strongest academic growth in the country during the pandemic, as measured by NWEA MAP data in the BES Network. Start your student’s journey with our excellent teachers, systems of emotional and academic learning, peer tutoring, and parent partnership by visiting us at www.invictusofrichmond.org