Bridge Builders | Issue 4

A Restorative Attempt to Bend the Binary: The Experiences of Genderqueer Students in a Restorative School District (Smith et al., 2025):

Smith and colleagues (2025) do not use race as their primary equity lens, however antiracism and gender liberation movements are intimately connected. It is impossible to talk about antiracism within RJ without understanding how genderqueer students of color experience RJ. Smith et al. get us started in that direction.  Within their study, Smith and colleagues (2025) examined how genderqueer students (students who don’t exclusively identify as male or female) experience school compared to cisgender students (those who identify with the gender they were assigned at birth) in a school district that has used restorative practices (RP) for six years.

• Genderqueer students feel less heard and less safe in RP circles. Compared to cisgender students, genderqueer students were less likely to feel listened to and less likely to feel safe in RP circles. Additionally, they also reported less enjoyment and fewer new connections during these circles
• Genderqueer students report lower adult support and belonging. Genderqueer students were less likely to report having adults at school they could talk to. As a result, genderqueer students felt less supported, less respected, and less valued by teachers and staff, which led to a lower sense of belonging at school.
• Genderqueer students report experiencing more microaggressions and discrimination. Genderqueer students reported higher levels of being left out by both peers and adults and were more likely to face discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation, learning disabilities, and family income.
• Cisnormativity continues to shape the school environment. Even in a district that actively uses restorative practices, institutional systems and social norms still favored cisgender students. RP, as currently implemented, has not been enough to fully protect or include genderqueer students.
• Positive experiences are attainable when schools are intentional about their approach. Some genderqueer students did report better experiences when they had a supportive adult or when schools made intentional efforts to include and affirm their identities.

Application to Schools for Educators and Administrators

• Train Staff in LGBTQ+ and Genderqueer Competency: Educators leading RP circles should receive specialized training on creating safe, affirming spaces for genderqueer students. This includes understanding pronouns, interrupting harmful comments, and recognizing subtle biases.
• Make RP Circles Intentionally Inclusive: Utilize prompts that celebrate diverse identities and address issues of gender-based harm. Include visual cues, such as pride flags or inclusive posters, in classrooms and circle spaces to show visible support.
• Gather Data on Inclusion and Discrimination: Schools should collect student feedback on whether they experience microaggressions, feel included, or are treated fairly, and then use that data to make genuine changes.
• Create Opportunities for Genderqueer-Led or Affinity Circles: Offer safe, supportive spaces where genderqueer students can gather, speak freely, and build community, ideally facilitated by staff with shared identities or strong allyship training.
• Hire and Retain Diverse Staff: Make an intentional effort to recruit educators and leaders who identify as genderqueer or are trained in inclusive, anti-oppressive practices. Representation and understanding matter deeply.

Teachers of Color Implementing Restorative Justice Practices in Elementary Classrooms: A DisCrit Analysis (Kulkarni & Chong, 2021):

Kulkarni and Chong (2021) explore the use of restorative justice practices (RJPs) by elementary school teachers of color. The authors detail how RJPs serve as an effective tool for the teachers to address racism and ableism within their school settings.

• Students of color with disabilities are disproportionately disciplined compared to their peers. Without a challenge to the existing disciplinary systems and school structures, these students will continue to be multiply marginalized.
• Teachers of color may benefit multiply marginalized students. These teachers may push back against existing structures that punitively impact multiplying marginalized students. In addition, they may be able to connect with these students via a shared background.
• Teachers may face significant roadblocks when implementing RJPs. Feelings of a lack of time may arise for teachers who are also trying to navigate the academic needs of students. Teachers may also feel that they may desire more training, resources, and community to implement RJPs.
• RJPs, students, and schools can benefit from highlighting both race and disability in discourse. The authors state that the “intersections of race and disability have been rendered invisible in RJ conversations” (p. 388). To counter this, intentional effort to synthesize race and disability can resist the status quo and disrupt the current structures, which favor dominant identities.

Application to Schools for Educators and Administrators

• Elevate student voice: Schools should develop climates where students are explicitly taught ways to resolve conflict. Teachers can use circle times to model effective communication or can give students the tools to facilitate their own circles to build community and resolve relational harm.
• Utilize Restorative Justice as a Lens: RJ can become a “way of being.” Schools can use RJPs to develop a strong community and culture to support the needs of students. Educators can integrate the tools of RJPs into each avenue of instruction, not limiting their use to solely circle time or for conflict resolution.
• Persist and Resist in the Face of Roadblocks: Systemic barriers to implementation can potentially be overcome by a commitment to RJPs. Teachers are valuable agents in sustaining the momentum of RJPs. Schools should continue to center RJPs among persistent challenges to support all students, including students of color with disabilities,
• Race and Disability Should be Focal Points of RJPs: Helping teachers to develop skills to de-center dominant groups can sustain such a practice. School systems should push to avoid exclusionary discipline and give students opportunities to reconcile, repair, and take responsibility.

Takeaways from our Conversation with Roy Liburd:

• Punitive doesn’t have to be part of it. Punitive consequences often create instances where a young person is removed from a community space, such as a classroom, inhibiting their chance to learn and connect with others. This not only removes the opportunity to restore but further ostracizes the student and often involves a reacclimating period.
• Unlearning harmful rhetoric is critical. To effectively implement RJPs, it is essential to unlearn certain ideologies that may have been ingrained in your thought process, even if they are subconscious. Some of this thinking may have even been part of your professional training!
• Leave your ego at the door. Sometimes when we feel frustrated with students, our ego can cause us to want to retaliate against behaviors that wound us. As Roy puts it, “it’s not about your wanting a pound of flesh, it’s about reintegrating the student into your classroom”.
• For school-wide changes, school leaders must be willing to lead the charge. Whether a district tasks its schools to implement RJPs or a school chooses to take the step individually, school leader support and leadership is essential for school-wide implementation.
• It’s got to look different: the same carceral practices and language (such as suspensions or calling a student an offender) will not yield different results than they already have, particularly for Black and Brown students. To successfully implement RJ, you must be willing to challenge long-standing systems and consistently implement new practices even if it feels uncomfortable at first.

Some questions to ponder:

• Both Smith et al. (2025) and Kulkarni & Chong (2021) discuss the ways that restorative practices can actually harm multiply marginalized students. How does your school or classroom strategically counter this potential harm in restorative practices?
• Although Smith et al. (2025) don’t take an explicitly intersectional approach, how does your school or your classroom support genderqueer students, particularly genderqueer students of color?
• Based on what Roy discussed, how does your school leader spearhead the restorative charge? If they do not, what is within your sphere of influence to change?

Thank you for reading and listening to another installment of Bridge Builders: The Newsletter and Podcast. We are grateful to do this work and share it with others. We strongly believe that community is a valuable asset and want to extend gratitude to you for being part of our Bridge Builders community. Until next time!

With hope and solidarity,

Mercedes Alicea (EdD) and Alex Parker (MEd) Co-authors

Olivia Marcucci (PhD) Faculty Editor