Restorative In-School Suspension
Restorative in-school suspension (RISS) is an approach to the district-mandated structure of ISS that provides a safe, neutral space for children to reflect on past behavior, make an action plan for future behavior, and complete missed classwork.
Why this works:
It helps children learn from their misbehavior rather than just being punished for their actions.
It keeps children who have shown aggressive behavior or elopement patterns safe, and keeps their classmates safe as well.
It can serve as a reset with a neutral adult after challenging behavior in the classroom.
It allows the classroom teacher time to regain their composure and re-establish safety with the classroom community.
How to do this well:
Enact restorative ISS within the context of a responsive and predictable school-wide behavior system.
Ensure that the atmosphere focuses on teaching rather than punishing and proactively supports children’s development of executive functioning skills.
Whenever possible, avoid staffing with an adult whose relationship with the child could incentivize Restorative ISS.
Maintain a dynamic that is calm and predictable with an adult using assertive language.
Configure the master schedule to allow for non-teaching staff to implement restorative ISS when necessary.
Communicate clear expectations with families and staff.
Create a space that has a classroom-like setup: desks/tables, Centering Space, academic materials, and rules, visual expectations, a general schedule posted.
Gather a bank of work across grades and subjects that students can work on if they finish their assigned classwork.
Establish a standard schedule so that all staff members run RISS in a consistent way.