Restorative Justice - A New Alternative to Discipline

Wednesday February 16, 2022
3:15 - 4:15 PM
220-222

The program we will highlight at this conference is the Raider Court, a school-based, student-administered court that hears cases of students who commit minor rule infractions at Huntington High School in Shreveport, Louisiana. The philosophy of Raider Court is to utilize peer pressure as a positive force, help young people accept accountability for their actions while educating respondents and members of the court about the legal system. It is a goal of Raider Court to create a sense of school pride and community while also creating productive active citizens. Raider Court provides constructive consequences. It helps the respondents understand the harm caused by the infraction and build skills to prevent future infractions. The court is restorative in that it focuses on repairing harm to the victim. Most importantly, respondents who successfully complete the program are able to avoid suspension; consequently, keeping them in school to receive valuable instruction time.

Presenters
Cindy Deck

Ms. Deck has been teaching secondary social studies in Caddo Parish for fifteen years and has been the peer court coordinator since its inception. She has a Bachelor's degree in history with a Master's in Educational Leadership. Ms. Deck has also been a volunteer with Teen Court for the past ten years and has seen the effects of the restorative approach firsthand.
Shonda Houston-Dotie

Shonda Houston-Dotie is employed by Volunteers for Youth Justice in Shreveport where she serves as Director of Youth Programs. As Director of Youth Programs, she oversees the development and operations of the juvenile diversion and mentoring programs. Houston-Dotie has been with the agency since 1998 and has a real passion for facilitating change in people’s lives. She has been instrumental in creating and leading dynamic programs for youth in crisis including mentoring, court diversion programs, school fight diversion (conflict resolution), school-based peer court, and recently leadership programs for youth in area schools.
Matthew Mitchell

Dr. Matthew Mitchell was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, and has been serving students for 15 years in Caddo Parish Public Schools. Dr. Mitchell also served as principal at Fair Park Middle School for two years, which was the first school in Louisiana to implement the peer court program. Most recently, he has been serving as the Principal of Huntington High School. At Huntington, there have been double digit gains in School Performance scores, as well as an increase in student enrollment.
type:
Lecture
theme:
leadership
audience:
building leaders
tags:
evidence based practices