Churches and community groups from around the city gathered in North Miami Monday night to demand public officials do more to reform discipline practices in local schools.
For Miami youngsters, Pastor Carrill Munnings said restorative justice is a tool that could resolve conflicts without leading to violence, arrests and school suspensions. “It helps them to re-think through their problems and resolve their problems in the face of those they have hurt so they can begin to respond differently in their lifetimes,” Munnings said.
The model, focused on dialog and mediation, has seen success in schools from California to New York.And it will soon debut in Miami-Dade schools.
“At least that was previously promised two years ago,” Munnings said.
The event, organized by People Acting for Community Together, was designed to help jump-start a long-delayed pilot program for restorative justice by securing commitments on-the-record from school board members as well as district and police officials. Soon after the event, the Miami-Dade school district said it was seeking a consultant to spearhead the program.