Moms for Liberty’s Next Focus Is on Restorative Justice

Moms for Liberty, a far right organization that advocates against lessons on LGBTQ rights and racial justice in schools, has announced its next target: restorative justice programs that address student misconduct through mediation and relationship building, rather than traditional punishment structures.

Since its inception in 2021, Moms for Liberty has been on the frontlines of the right-wing crusade against public schools, calling for an end to the Department of Education, waging war against teacher’s unions, and spreading dangerous conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and transgender youth — all in the name of so-called “parental rights.” Its chapters have implemented book bans in school districts across the U.S., largely targeting LGBTQ stories and books written by people of color.

Because of its attacks on marginalized groups, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) identified Moms for Liberty as an “extremist” organization in 2023.

In an email sent to supporters on March 1 (subsequently shared on its social media channels), Moms for Liberty explained why it plans to go after restorative justice programs.

“Restorative Justice is a term not as well-known as SEL [Social and Emotional Learning], CRT [critical race theory], and DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion], but it is just as insidious,” the group wrote. “What started in the prison system has evolved into a deceptively nice-sounding approach to school discipline that, more frequently than not, results in more harm than actual justice for either the offender or the victims.”

The group stated that it plans to make restorative justice its focus “throughout the month of March.”

“By month’s end, you’ll be equipped with the information needed to fight against this pervasive initiative,” Moms for Liberty said.

The email indicates that attacks on restorative justice programs in schools is the next issue the group — and possibly the far right overall — will make as their “cause célèbre.”

The group’s characterization of restorative justice as harmful and ineffective contradicts research that has consistently demonstrated that such programs are actually a net positive in students’ lives, whether the students have caused or experienced harm.

According to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School, “restorative justice is a set of principles and practices that create a different approach to dealing with crime and its impacts.”

“Restorative justice practices work to address the dehumanization frequently experienced by people in the traditional criminal justice system,” the university states. “Instead of viewing a criminal act as simply a violation of a rule or statute, restorative justice sees this action as a violation of people and relationships.”

Restorative justice focuses on rehabilitation and personal accountability to individuals a person has wronged. In practice, such programs seek to “examine the harmful impact of a crime and then determin[e] what can be done to repair that harm while holding the person who caused it accountable for his or her actions,” the university adds.

Translated into school settings, restorative justice can be used as an alternative to punishing students who have caused harm to their classrooms or fellow peers. Such initiatives are seen as particularly beneficial for LGBTQ students and young people of color, as those groups are often punished more frequently and severely than their peers.

Multiple examinations of restorative justice programs have shown that they do indeed work — and they don’t only decrease harmful outcomes for students facing disciplinary action, but for the broader community as well. A study by the University of Chicago Education Lab in the 2013-14 school year, examining restorative justice programs in the Chicago Public School District (CPS), found that restorative justice programs were successful in bringing down school arrests by 35 percent and reducing out-of-school arrests by 15 percent.

“In addition to significant decreases in student arrests, restorative justice practices decreased out-of-school suspensions by 18 percent and improved students’ perceptions of school climate,” an analysis by the National Education Association (NEA) stated.

“Our research shows that restorative practices can make a real, positive difference in addressing students’ socio-emotional needs,” said Sadie Stockdale Jefferson, executive director of the University of Chicago Education Lab.

In an op-ed for Truthout in 2022, Ellen Reddy, executive director of the Nollie Jenkins Family Center, explained that restorative justice is a better approach than corporal punishment systems in schools. (Corporal punishment is still allowed, or not officially banned, in 24 states across the U.S.)

“By instituting corporal punishment, school districts are exposing children — sometimes as young as 4 years old — to violence,” Reddy said. “This violence causes long-term damage to the young people who are hit, and it possibly impacts young people who hear or witness their peers being hit (because they are powerless to stop it and because they fear it could happen to them), and the entire school community.”

Reddy added:

For persons who want alternatives to corporal punishment, restorative justice is a great option. Restorative justice looks at how to learn from and make amends for mistakes. It also creates a safe environment for the entire school community and teaches communication skills that will aid young people throughout their lives.