Students who feel safe and supported in their school environment are more likely to succeed academically and participate in school-sponsored programs, both of which are indicators for college success. Therefore, Rogue River Junior/Senior High School partners with Resolve: Center for Dispute Resolution and Restorative Justice to offer professional development and on-site resources designed to implement restorative practices surrounding student/staff relationships to establish a safer school environment.

Restorative practices emphasize healing over punishment, inclusion over exclusion and individual accountability with a high level of support. At the core, restorative practices are about building and restoring relationships.

Resolve provides conflict resolution school programs and services for K-12 youth that aim to build a safer school culture through prevention, intervention, and restoration. They have been working with Rogue River Junior/Senior High School since 2014. School staff use the tools they learn through this program to build relationships and help students feel safe and engaged.

Restorative dialogues and conferences are one example of a restorative practice introduced at the school. These facilitated, face-to-face meetings let students hear directly about the impact their actions had and accept responsibility for their behavior.

Surveys report a 5% increase in students' perceptions of feeling safe at school from 2014-15 to 2015-16. In the coming year, training will focus on how to identify bullying & intimidation situations in order to further support students' learning environments.