Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/274063
coincided with an 85-point rise in the school's API scores. Suspension for minor infractions, such as willful defi- ance, theft and bullying, are reduced through a "diversion" program where youths agree to make positive changes as an alternative to suspension. While serious offenses — weapons or drugs — require suspension under the Education Code, the Peer Court gives students like Pedro a chance to remove suspensions from their school record in exchange for making positive changes. It's a way of putting rehabilitation above punishment, rewarding good behavior and wiping the slate clean. Court's in session Accompanied by his father, Pedro walks into the class- room-turned-courtroom. He sits up front, next to an administrator. At first he is smirking, but the semi-circle of student panelists surrounding Pedro make it clear that it's no laughing matter. Pedro says he has smoked pot before "many times," and even though he knew it was "stupid," he brought it Pedro face s a "cour troom" of his peers. He hope s to "expunge" his suspension for smoking pot on campus. B Y S H E R R Y P O S N I C K - G O O D W I N Peer Court gives students a second chance Consequences happen FEATURE O N E D AY P E D R O d e c i d e d to s m o ke p o t o n c a m p u s . T h e a c t wa s witnessed by other students and parents after school. Pedro even posted about smoking pot on Facebook, removing any doubt the act had occurred. Freshly back from suspension, the 13-year-old now faces a "court- room" of his peers to make things right. He agrees to accept whatever "sentence" the Peer Court decides upon to "expunge" his suspension. Peer Court, developed by sixth-grade math teacher and school cli- mate/culture specialist Karen Junker at Davidson Middle School in San Rafael, uses a "restorative justice" approach to lower suspension rates and improve behavior. The rationale is that students can't learn if they miss school. Over the past five years the Peer Court has brought a turnaround at the campus, where more than half of students are economically disadvan- taged. Before Peer Court, the school of fewer than 900 students had 375 suspensions per year — with a highly disproportionate number of Latino students suspended. The school lost an estimated $35,000 in state reve- nue annually from suspensions. Last year, in comparison, there were just 40 suspensions and only three cases of recidivism, says Junker, San Rafael Teachers Association, who says the 85 percent decrease in suspensions 44 M A R C H 2 0 1 4 Educator 03 Mar 2014 v2.0 int.indd 44 3/6/14 10:53 AM