LETTER to HIGHLINE SCHOOL BOARD: Are Restorative Justice Policies Working?

‍The following is a Public Comment presented to the Highline School Board on May 15, 2024 by Alex Myrick.  

‍Good evening, Directors. I have had the privilege of visiting over a dozen foreign countries, and living in four of them. I have studied five foreign languages. This has taught me that different people groups have different interests, values, taboos and priorities. That’s why I was distressed at the last board meeting to hear of strenuous efforts toward reducing disproportionality in discipline.

While it may sound desirable to people steeped in equity, please consider the underlying basic assumption. The assumption is that any racial disproportionality in education (or any other entity) is, by definition the result of racial discrimination. This flies in the face of common sense, and is contradicted by social science research. I am aware, that when I encounter a person of color on the street, or anywhere else, that person may be smarter, kinder and better behaved than myself. However, when we look at ethnic groups of several thousand, as much as we hate to be reminded, there are obvious disparities between groups.

If we continue to deny disparities in skills and behaviors, the Highline district will continue on its path toward failure and violence. You are playing with fire.

‍Nikolas Cruz had committed numerous arrestable offenses, and made multiple threats of deadly violence. However, President Obama’s secretary of education had written to all the school districts, warning them that if their discipline showed racial disproportionality, they could be found guilty of civil rights violations, and lose federal funding. Consequently, Cruz was not referred to law enforcement, enabling him to pass a background check, and legally buy an assault rifle.

As [Parkland School] district had altered its policies, eliminating suspensions and expulsions in favor of restorative justice, and self-esteem enhancing programs, he [Cruz] was allowed to return to school, where he murdered 14 fellow students and three staff members. Students should be disciplined according to their behavioral infractions, not their skin color.

‍

_____________________________________

‍FROM THE EDITOR: If you would like to submit a story, an article, or a letter to the editor, please contact us. Include your name, phone number and email so we may contact you to verify who you are, even if we do not publish your name.  We look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas!  Please note, Letters to the Editor do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Burien-News or Daniel Media.