Restorative Lunch Groups: Replacing Suspension with Skill-Building

Office Referrals

42/mo 18/mo

-57%

Repeat Offenders

23 9

-61%

Student Satisfaction

2.8/5 4.1/5

+46%

Symptom

Office discipline referrals were climbing every month, and out-of-school suspensions were removing students from learning for days at a time. The same 25 students accounted for over 60% of all referrals. Repeated consequences were not changing behavior — they were just creating a cycle of exclusion. Staff morale was suffering as teachers felt unsupported, and the school climate survey showed declining scores in both student belonging and staff confidence in the discipline system.

People

The school counselor led the initiative with support from the assistant principal and two teachers who volunteered to facilitate lunch groups. A community partner provided training in restorative practices. Team: - School Counselor — Program lead, group facilitation training - Assistant Principal — Policy alignment, referral triage - Two teacher facilitators — Daily lunch group sessions - Community partner — Restorative justice training

Data

The team tracked office referrals weekly, monitored repeat-offender rates monthly, and administered a student satisfaction survey at midpoint and end of the intervention. Referral data was broken down by type (disruption, defiance, peer conflict) to identify which categories responded best to the approach.

Plan

Students referred for non-violent behavioral incidents were offered restorative lunch groups as an alternative to traditional consequences. Groups of 4-6 students met during lunch three times per week for a two-week cycle. Each session followed a structured format: check-in circle, guided discussion of the incident and its impact, skill-building activity (conflict resolution, emotion regulation, perspective-taking), and a closing commitment. Teachers received a half-day training in restorative questions and circle facilitation before launch.

Resources

Restorative Circle Guide

Facilitator handbook

Session Planning Template

Weekly session planner