Restorative Practices

Overview

Restorative practices are approaches to proactively build positive school culture and relationships while holding students accountable for disruptive behaviors and providing students an opportunity to repair harm and restore positive relationships. Restorative practitioners have a mindset of spending 80% of the time being proactive, using affective statements, affective questions, and small impromptu conversations with students. Twenty percent of the time is spent on responding to student's behaviors using circles and formal conferences, which take time and planning. Engaging in restorative practices result in fewer disruptive behaviors, suspensions, and expulsions which allows more time for educators and students to focus on in-school learning.

Restorative practices:

  1. Builds healthy relationships between educators and students
  2. Reduces and prevents harmful behavior; improves behavior
  3. Repairs harm and restores positive relationships
  4. Resolves conflict and holds individuals/groups accountable
  5. Addresses and discusses the needs of the school community

Contacts

Cuong Nguyen
Prevention Specialist
Phone: (801) 538-7667 | Email

Tina Morandy
Support Staff
Phone: (801) 538-7526 | Email

Laws and Policies

Utah Code Section 53G-8-211:Responses to school-based behavior, prohibits referrals to law enforcement or juvenile court for truancy and for class C misdemeanors, infractions, and status offenses and offenses committed on school grounds. It allows referrals for these offenses to alternative school-based interventions including mobile crisis outreach teams, receiving centers operated by Utah Division of Juvenile Justice Services, youth courts, and other restorative justice programs.

Restorative practices provide an option to local educational agencies to meet the requirements as specified under Utah Code Section 53G-8-211.

Resources

USBE/State

Local Educations Agencies (LEAs)

Coming Soon

National Resources

Coming Soon

Professional Learning

USBE Trainings offered

2025-2026 Schedule

Request a training

Training Request Portal Icon

Student Services Training Request Portal (TRP)