Summary: RESTORATIVE JUSTICE. Fresno Unified School District has the highest dropout rate of the ten largest school districts in California. Some experts say more than half the students in the district are not finishing high school, and two-thirds continually miss class. The rates are highest among Latino and African-American boys. Suspensions lost the district $250,000 last year. A group of students and community leaders is calling for the district to use restorative justice discipline, a method that attempts to resolve conflicts before they escalate, focusing on keeping students in school instead of expelling them. This approach has been used with some success in other school systems. Guests: Rubén Lizardo, Deputy Director, Policy Link, Oakland, CA, www.policylink.org ; Miriam Hernández, Leader, Students United to Create a Climate of Engagement, Support and Safety (SUCCESS) Project, Fresno, CA, www.yetfresno.org ; Yammilette Rodriguez, Director of Programs, Central Valley,Youth Leadership Institute, Fresno, CA, www.yli.org ; Luis Chavez, Board Member, Fresno Unified School District Board of Trustees, Fresno, CA, www.fresnounified.org
