Erin Stewart (’21), current Fellow with Citizens for Juvenile Justice, coauthored an opinion for CommonWealth panning a recent survey of families in the Boston Public Schools, noting its failure to include holistic approaches to school safety, and citing multiple studies affirming that metal detectors and police do not make schools safer (“Police, Metal Detectors Wrong Answer in Boston Public Schools,” Jul. 17). “Restorative justice practices emphasize the rehabilitation of students with challenging behaviors through conflict resolution, problem-solving, meaningful reflection, and reconciliation with those who are harmed and the community at large. . . . Instead of spending millions of taxpayer dollars on flawed approaches like more cops and metal detectors that lack an evidentiary basis for their effectiveness, decision makers should prioritize evidence-based, holistic approaches to school safety that center providing student’s support and addressing the root causes of misbehavior in a way that is preventative and that improves overall climate in Boston’s schools.”
