School districts across Maryland use “Restorative Practices,” a term derived from Restorative Justice Practices. As a result of political word semantics, “Justice” was removed to conceal the true intent behind the term to make it sound reasonably acceptable and palatable within a sugar coating. Its methodology is that and a bag of chips, falling short of a happily ever after ending in its implementation.
Lou Taylor, Superintendent of Worcester County Public Schools made a statement embracing Restorative Practices, which we have also heard in verbatim statements from other superintendents across Maryland. At the same meeting where the statement was made, the Delmarva Parent Teacher Coalition responded, while cautioning the board of the destructive ideology of these practices.
Watch this 2 minute video and listen carefully:
What did the Superintendent say? Equity Lens & Whole Child?
Taylor admitted to applying an “Equity Lens” in their implementation of Restorative Practices. When he mentions “Whole Child,” he assumes the role of the school as a foster parent to take responsibility of a child’s upbringing in place of the parent.
“Equity Lens” means that they look at physical and social attributes in carrying out discipline through a system of double standards based on the attributes of race, sexuality, socio-economic, religion, or identity. This means partiality in judgement – making exceptions for some and not others, when or if discipline is to be applied.
“Whole Child” refers to the school seeing that a child in every aspect of his or her life is the responsibility of the school, and they get to decide what a child needs. This goes for their values of right and wrong, political correctness, discipline, humanism to replace religion, food, transportation, acceptance of certain behaviors, imaginary rights independent of their parents, sexuality, directing identity, teaching a child that America is a democracy (when it’s a Republic), and guiding in decisions based on feelings and desires.
What is Maryland’s definition of Restorative Practices?
My version of restorative practices = restoring the practice of actually punishing the offenders.