SRO Restorative Justice in Schools 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An SRO is asked to help implement a Tier 1 restorative practice schoolwide. What does Tier 1 typically involve?
- Intensive one-on-one counseling for the most at-risk students
- Proactive community-building circles for all students to build relationships (Correct answer)
- Criminal referrals for students with three or more infractions
- Restorative conferences only after serious incidents occur
Correct answer: Proactive community-building circles for all students to build relationships
Tier 1 in restorative practice is universal and proactive — community-building circles that establish relationships and school culture before any harm occurs.
Question 2: Which question is NOT part of the standard restorative questioning framework used with students who caused harm?
- What were you thinking at the time?
- Who do you think has been affected?
- What punishment do you believe you deserve? (Correct answer)
- What do you need to do to make things right?
Correct answer: What punishment do you believe you deserve?
Restorative questioning focuses on impact, accountability, and repair — not on selecting one's own punishment, which is a punitive framing.
Question 3: When an SRO uses restorative language after a conflict, they should focus on:
- What rule was broken and what the policy mandates
- Who was harmed, how, and what needs to happen to repair it (Correct answer)
- Which student has the worse behavioral history
- How quickly the incident can be closed in the system
Correct answer: Who was harmed, how, and what needs to happen to repair it
Restorative language redirects attention from rule violations to harm done and the needs created by that harm.
Question 4: A student's parent objects to their child participating in a restorative circle, preferring traditional suspension. How should the SRO handle this?
- Override the parent's wishes because restorative justice is school policy
- Arrest the student to demonstrate the seriousness of the offense
- Respect the family's choice and explore what support the school can offer within their comfort (Correct answer)
- Proceed with the circle without notifying the parent
Correct answer: Respect the family's choice and explore what support the school can offer within their comfort
Restorative processes require buy-in from participants; respecting the family's choice while offering alternatives preserves trust and autonomy.
Question 5: Which of the following best describes 'harm-focused' versus 'rule-focused' school discipline?
- Harm-focused discipline ignores rules entirely and relies on feelings
- Harm-focused discipline asks who was hurt; rule-focused asks what was broken (Correct answer)
- Rule-focused discipline is always more effective than harm-focused
- Both approaches are identical in practice
Correct answer: Harm-focused discipline asks who was hurt; rule-focused asks what was broken
Harm-focused discipline centers the impact on people, while rule-focused discipline centers the violation of institutional policies.
Question 6: What is a 'check-in circle' in restorative school practice?
- A security sweep of student belongings
- A brief, regular group activity to build community and surface needs (Correct answer)
- A formal disciplinary hearing for repeat offenders
- A biannual review of the school's code of conduct
Correct answer: A brief, regular group activity to build community and surface needs
Check-in circles are short, regular gatherings where students and staff share how they are doing, strengthening community bonds proactively.
Question 7: Restorative justice in schools is most closely aligned with which broader philosophy of justice?
- Retributive justice, which focuses on punishing offenders
- Rehabilitative justice focused solely on therapeutic treatment
- Community-centered justice that repairs harm and rebuilds relationships (Correct answer)
- Deterrence theory emphasizing fear of consequences
Correct answer: Community-centered justice that repairs harm and rebuilds relationships
Restorative justice is rooted in community-centered approaches that prioritize repairing harm and restoring social bonds over punishment.
SRO Restorative Justice in Schools 4
An SRO is asked to help implement a Tier 1 restorative practice schoolwide.
What does Tier 1 typically involve?