Restorative justice is gaining prominence across the country as a way of keeping students who engage in misconduct in the classroom instead of on the street. This includes students with disabilities, who are suspended from school for misconduct at a disproportionate rate compared to general education students. In 2013, for example, students with disabilities in Michigan lost 190,036 days of education. The Michigan Special Education Mediation Program is engaged in a pilot project to determine whether restorative practices are appropriate for students with disabilities. The preliminary answer is yes. Explore how facilitation, dispute resolution and learning come together to help students with disabilities solve their own discipline issues. Review the techniques behind the practice, what the data show, what schools are learning and prospects for the project’s next phase.
The Center for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education
Supporting the prevention and resolution of disputes through partnership and collaboration
