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Using Restorative Justice Practices to Improve Disproportionate Suspension and Expulsion of Students

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The U.S. Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, recently overturned an Obama era mandate to reduce disproportionate suspensions of students of color. Schools including some in San Mateo County have disproportionate suspension and expulsion rates of African American, Latino, and special education students. Restorative Justice Practices (RJP) is one strategy that schools have used to improve school climate and avoid unnecessary suspensions, which allows students to stay in school and become more likely to achieve academic success. Get Healthy SMC is working in partnership with the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) to support RJP implementation in local schools. With the support of Get Healthy SMC community implementation funds, the SMCOE held seven trainings this past year on RJP implementation that reached 197 teachers throughout the County!