Our community members, children and teens expressed concern with the amount of young people being arrested directly from school. Our research showed that children in Charleston County were being arrested and incarcerated at higher rates than other counties in South Carolina and that over half of them were being arrested for minor offenses from the classroom. Many students were arrested for vague charges like disturbing schools and disorderly conduct, entangling them in the criminal justice system.
At our annual Nehemiah Action Assembly on April 18, 2016, nearly 2,100 CAJM members gathered and gained commitments from four CCSD School Board Members to implement PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) and restorative justice district-wide over the next five years. This is proven to successfully address behavioral issues, keep our kids in school and improve academic achievement. It also teaches our children powerful emotional intelligence skills that serve them in school to de-escalate and resolve conflicts on their own as well as in their future lives as adults.
Over the summer of 2016, over $65,000 was spent by CCSD to intensively train all elementary and middle school teachers to implement PBIS in their schools with fidelity. School Board members and school officials will travel with CAJM representatives on December 16th, 2016 to Duval County Schools in Jacksonville, FL to observe Restorative Justice in action, prior to training taking place for our own teachers in the Charleston Area.
CCSD and CAJM have worked together to produce results.
During a presentation during fall 2023 from the district’s Office of Student Support Services, we learned that 131 district staff have been trained in restorative practices, and nearly two-thirds of the schools in the district are at some point in the implementation phase.
This has led to positive results for students and educators. From 2017-23, the district saw in schools implementing restorative practices an 11 percentage-point increase in the number of students with zero behavior referrals, going from 60% in 2017 to 71% last year.
Additionally, in schools implementing restorative practices, there were increases in the percentage of students and teachers who reported feeling a greater sense of belonging, helping the district provide high-quality education in a safe environment, leading to positive academic outcomes.
The Justice Ministry’s education committee meets monthly with the school district, a partnership that has brought the community and the school district together at one table to support families.