For nearly a decade, New York City placed ideology over evidence in its approach to school discipline.
Restorative Justice, imposed for the sake of racial “equity,” was supposed to strengthen school culture — but instead it removed the boundaries kids need to learn and thrive.
That left too many classrooms without clear expectations, consistent follow-through or real consequences, with students told to discuss or meditate on unruly school behavior rather than receiving detention, suspension or loss of privileges…