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A Justice System of Their Own

Members of the Review Board rotate to a different job every week.

The Review Board's motto is "Commit the crime; pay the time." More often than not, students assign a punishment that relates to the crime. For example, a student found guilty of failing to bring a required book to class might be sentenced to carry all of his or her books around each day for a week, with no locker breaks. A probation officer is assigned to make sure the student is indeed doing this. All sentences are voted on by the board; similar offenses tend to draw similar sentences. Disciplinary action for serious offenses remain the responsibility of the school administration.

Students are not always found guilty. In one instance, a student was charged with being late to class. His teacher gave him a punishment, but later referred him to the Review Board as well. The board dismissed the charges on the grounds that he had already been punished. In another instance, the Review Board found a student innocent whom the referring teacher considered guilty. Having been present when the case was tried, I spoke to the teacher on behalf of the Review Board, explaining that information had come to light to clear the student of the charge. The teacher subsequently accepted the board's decision.

The administration at Lassiter Middle School constantly encourages teachers to try new things even if success is not always assured. In keeping with this policy, I have always received support from the school's principal, counselor, and teachers. In fact, our principal, Fred Harbison, believes that by letting the Review Board take care of minor disciplinary problems within the Pacesetters: The Next Generation team, he can devote more time to teacher needs, classroom visits, and curriculum. He sees the Review Board as a means of empowering students while addressing discipline problems in an innovative way.

Teachers on my team have commented on the changes in students' behavior since the conception of the Review Board, and teachers on other teams at Lassiter have incorporated Review Boards into their own discipline strategies.

Parents also seem favorably disposed toward the Review Board.

How the Review Board has evolved

Each year, the Review Board goes through changes. One year, we added the creed; another year, we changed the length of time each student stays in a specific job. We've added “down times” on Fridays when we do other law-related activities. These include field trips to state courts, presentations by guest speakers such as judges and police officers, mock trials, and discussions of certain crimes being committed by young people in the Louisville area.

One of the most important things I've learned in dealing with the students on the Review Board is that, to be effective, students must have a feeling of ownership and pride in being an active member. I've tried to encourage this in the following ways:

• by having students elect to serve, rather than be appointed to the Review Board
• by supplying Review Board T-shirts
• by arranging for a group picture in the school yearbook
• by encouraging members of the board to eat lunch together and opt to leave lunch five minutes early in order to prepare for the day's cases
• by sharing with board members all forms of positive recognition of their activities
• by telling board members on every possible occasion how proud I am of their dedication and accomplishments.

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