[BHS Etree] ADMIN: Update on Restorative Justice Process at BHS

[BHS Etree]

PLEASE do not reply to this email, contact Jose (Eddie) Estrada III at eddieestrada at berkeley.net<mailto:eddieestrada at berkeley.net>

Dear BHS Community,

As we begin a new week, we would like to provide an update on the restorative justice process that has taken taking place over the past 2 weeks in response to the recent incident involving a racist, anti-Semitic, and ableist social media account created by BHS students.

Many students in our community were deeply hurt when this Instagram account and a related group chat containing hurtful images, memes, and language were discovered. Since that time, students involved with the account have participated in a series of restorative justice harm circles, first in small groups with other students representing the communities directly targeted by this incident, and later in larger groups open to all BHS students.

This process brought those who caused harm into a direct dialogue with the affected students. The process spanned several days and at times was painful, but resulted in powerful conversations, new understandings and connections, and deep expressions of empathy and care despite extremely difficult circumstances.

Restorative justice empowers students and staff to resolve conflicts on their own. The process involves bringing together members of our community to talk, ask questions, and air grievances, all in the hopes of achieving reconciliation, healing, and justice. By allowing for these processes to occur, we can help our students and staff to connect on a human level, engage in constructive dialogue, and discover empathy for others in situations when harm and conflict have occurred.

This incident serves as a glaring reminder of the much needed work that must be done to eradicate all forms of hate in our community. We see the recent restorative process as a sign of hope as our community continues to heal and work toward justice.

Jose (Eddie) Estrada III
Restorative Practices Coordinator
Berkeley High School

Kiernan Rok
Dean of Students
Berkeley High School

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