Promoting Restorative Justice in School Classrooms Project

Adams County School District 14 (Adams 14), located in Commerce City, Colorado, requests support to establish the Promoting Restorative Justice in School Classrooms (PRJSC) project. This project will expand an existing program that offers re-focus spaces for students who struggle with cognitive and behavioral issues in the classroom. The program will also offer training programs for teachers and staff to learn more about the principles of restorative justice and consider classroom management strategies that seek to support rather than punish students.

 The goals of the program are to (1) improve the resources available to help students who are struggling with mental health needs; (2) increase the capacity of district employees to recognize and respond to students who are struggling with mental health issues; and (3) enhance the knowledge and understanding of violence and mental health issues for parents and families in the community. In pursuit of those goals, the project will expand the number of re-focus rooms available at Adams 14 schools; offer educational opportunities for students to learn about mental wellness; hire two Safety Advocates who will work with teachers, staff, parents, students, and community members to improve security in the schools; hire Restorative Justice Advocates who will offer trainings about mental health to teachers and staff members that enable them to better recognize and respond to students in need; form School Safety Teams that will include representatives of different constituencies (teachers, staff, parents) and will lead efforts to both improve security and communicate about district processes to families and the community; offer cultural competency training for district employees that will help them better connect and communicate with Hispanic/Latino families and families from other underrepresented groups; and develop community-based workshops about violence and mental health to help families and other community members understand the connections between the two.