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A Justice System of Their Own

Per the Review Board Creed, students must keep board business confidential unless given permission by fellow board members to do otherwise. This policy gives members the freedom to speak frankly and uncover the information they need to reach a fair verdict.

Like any justice system, our student court occasionally makes mistakes. (As noted earlier, the sponsor is always present at proceedings to ensure that no injustice is done and that proper procedures are followed.) If the board members or the sponsor feel dissatisfied with the board's performance in a certain instance, we talk. Usually, we can iron out our differences of opinion via discussion and compromise.

In instances when the members of the Review Board feel that the student justice process has been unable to make a positive impact on a defendant, that student is referred back to the team teachers.

How we know it's working

Although I have never conducted a written survey to see if our Review Board is making a difference in student conduct, I can tell, by comparing the abundance of cases we get at the beginning of the school year to the scarcity of cases that occur by the latter part of the year, that the board does have a positive effect. By spring, I find myself almost wishing we had more cases.

I think another indicator of our success is the fact that there's always a long list of students waiting to become members of the Review Board. When asked why he wanted to be on the board, one student said he thought that the student court would be fun and would be a different way to learn. Another commented that the student court seemed exciting and would be like nothing she had ever done before. Another student, although eager to serve, said that one thing she didn't like about the Review Board is that sometimes you have to try your friends, and you can't go easy on them because the creed requires you to judge each case without bias or prejudice.

One board member perhaps best summarized the appeal - and the value - of service on the Review Board when she said that she really enjoyed doing her board job because having to be there and do a job right gave her a feeling of responsibility.

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Did you enjoy this article? It's excerpted from NEA Professional Library.