SFUSD staff outline steps to deepen restorative practices, show suspension data with historic disparities

The district provided an update on the Safe and Supportive Schools policy, first adopted in 2014 to reduce suspensions and racial disparities by expanding restorative practices and positive behavioral interventions. Presenters said the pandemic flipped discipline data — fall 2020 suspension rates were effectively zero for most groups because of distance learning — but historic disproportionalities remain in prior-year data.

Veil Lau Smith, Chief of Student, Family and Community Support, described an audit of division programs and processes designed to identify barriers to implementation and to transform training and coaching practice. Devin Corrigan, supervisor of analytics, described the dashboard metrics SFUSD uses to compare suspension rates per 100 students across demographic groups and noted the persistence of higher rates for African American students and foster youth in pre-pandemic years.

Public comment stressed mandatory and funded professional development, consistent site-level coaching and better tracking of restorative outcomes. Staff said they will prototype coordinated-care teams, launch short-term student and family advisory cohorts, and refine metrics to capture restorative practice implementation and student reflections.