SY26-27 Restorative Justice Coordinator

Chicago Public Schools•Chicago, IL

About The Position

The Restorative Justice Coordinator reports to the school principal and works with students, staff, administrators, families, and other school stakeholders to facilitate restorative practices, build schoolwide systems and capacity for restorative justice, and advance restorative justice across the CPS community. The role cultivates a schoolwide culture of healing and safety through accountability, skill-building, and relationships. The coordinator facilitates proactive and responsive restorative practices across universal, targeted, and intensive tiers of support; provides training and coaching to develop the school community’s restorative justice skills; collaborates with families and community stakeholders; builds student leadership and restorative skills; connects the school with community resources; and uses data to inform schoolwide restorative practice goals and implementation.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
Previous experience in a school setting or working with adolescents.
Two years of training and/or experience in restorative justice and circle practice.
Four years of direct experience implementing conflict mediation, such as de-escalation and facilitating conversations to repair harm, and positive youth development in a school or community setting.
Four years of experience building relationships and collaborations with students, teachers, administrators, parents, and/or community partners.
Ability to work after school and weekend hours.
Ability to interface with students, families, teachers, school leaders, and classroom support staff to find creative solutions to challenging problems.

Nice To Haves

A degree in Public Administration, Education, or Human Services is preferred.

Responsibilities

Facilitate restorative practices across universal, targeted, and intensive tiers of support with school community stakeholders.
Facilitate Tier 1 proactive practices with administrators, staff, students, and families, including check-ins, shared values, community building, restorative conversations, classroom talking circles, and restorative communication.
Connect students, families, staff, and administrators to appropriate Tier 2 and Tier 3 responsive practices, including restorative conversations, peace circles, Peer Conference, re-entry processes, crisis or trauma response, and support.
Set up and maintain physical spaces for restorative practices, such as a school Peace Room or classroom-based spaces.
Design and lead restorative justice training for staff and administrators, and develop a scope and sequence aligned with school needs and goals.
Model and co-facilitate restorative practices in classrooms and staff meetings to build staff capacity, including communicating schoolwide restorative discipline expectations.
Coach administrators and staff, observe restorative practice facilitation, and provide constructive feedback.
Consult with school staff on restorative prevention, de-escalation, and intervention strategies when individual student social, emotional, or behavioral issues arise, and identify opportunities to prevent or address future issues.
Collaborate with stakeholders, including parents and community members, through outreach, focus groups, and shared leadership.
Develop students’ restorative justice skills through Peer Conference, workshops, leadership and facilitation opportunities, and student-led community events.
Participate in the Chicago and CPS restorative justice community and in programming for Restorative Justice Coordinators, including communities of practice and coaching.
Connect the school with local restorative justice community partners, resources, tools, and professional development.
Attend professional development and coaching in restorative justice, cultural competency, anti-racism, trauma responsiveness, circle practice, and related topics.
Develop data-informed strategic goals for schoolwide restorative practices within the school’s Continuous Improvement Work Plan, and collect and analyze implementation data to identify growth areas and inform training and coaching.