What's Cool at School: Student justice program

Students at one Williamsburg school are learning to resolve conflict and hold each other accountable for poor actions.  The Lyons Community School launched a restorative justice program four years ago

News 12 Staff

May 27, 2015, 5:55 PM

Updated 3,444 days ago

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Students at one Williamsburg school are learning to resolve conflict and hold each other accountable for poor actions. 
The Lyons Community School launched a restorative justice program four years ago in an effort to break the cycle of increasing school suspensions. 
The program involves a student panel that evaluates everything from fighting to social media bullying. A jury of peers forces troubled students to answer questions and think about their actions before they come up with an appropriate punishment. Peer mediation is another option. 
School officials say they've already seen a decline in the number of students being suspended because of its justice program.