HORNET’S NEST Proctor Academy | November 13, 2020 | Vol. 6 | Issue 2
Restorative Justice Comes to Proctor By River Turnbull
The past few months have revealed much about the Proctor community. It began early in the summer, in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, when a student posted a racially insensitive post on social media. The school responded with a number of community conversations and since then, similar posts have to come to light. After the subsequent protest and responses from the administration, we see a few significant takeaways and progress in the Green Book, the disciplinary process, and in student awareness. Cha Krupka, Assistant School Leader observed, “The largest changes have been to restructure the initial stages of action for when a report is incurred, so there is room for either education or discipline or both. Hopefully, a new committee with student representation and input will be present. Mostly the changes are to try and prevent a situation in the future ... in which Proctor was simply stuck in an awful situation.” However, this was not the only issue the student protest brought to light: does Proctor hold responsibility for educating these students in regard to harming others? If so, can restorative justice truly avert these ignorant acts of racism from happening again? Will Wamaru, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator at Proctor, provided insight into this complicated matter. “Apart from transferring academic knowledge and skills, the education system plays an important role in the socialization process of young people. Through a holistic approach, Proctor aims to create an environment where young adults learn and grow into responsible, respectful, honest, and compassionate citizens...My educational and socialization philosophy is informed by Ubuntu philosophy. It is a humanistic philosophy of the Bantu people that aims to keep a community and society better by valuing the humanity of all. The values and principles that guide the practice of restorative justice are rooted in this humanist approach. Restorative Justice humanizes the process of dealing with harm with a community, whether intentional or unintentional. It allows the offended parties, community members, and the offender to see each other’s humanity and create outcomes that recognize the three parties.”