Restorative Justice Coord

CPS; Illinois; On-site; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

Pension plans

Paid time off

Professional development

Job summary

Chicago Public Schools is seeking a Restorative Justice Coordinator to partner with the principal, students, staff, families, and community to implement restorative practices across the school. You will help build a safe, accountable culture and lead schoolwide systems for restorative justice, including training and coaching for staff.

The role emphasizes Tier 1–3 practices, peer circles, and community partnerships, with a focus on healing, positive youth development, and data-informed planning

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; Public Administration, Education or Human Services preferred.
• Two years of restorative justice and circle practice experience.
• Experience in a school setting with adolescents preferred.
• Ability to work after school and weekend hours.
• Four years of direct experience in conflict mediation and positive youth development in school or community settings.
• Four years of relationship-building with students, staff, families, and community partners.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate restorative practices across universal, targeted, and intensive tiers with stakeholders.
• Lead Tier 1 proactive restorative practices with admins, staff, students, and families.
• Coordinate Tier 2 and 3 restorative practices including peace circles and re-entry processes.
• Set up and maintain spaces for restorative practices (e.g., Peace Room).
• Provide training and coaching to build restorative justice capacity in the school community.
• Design and lead staff trainings on restorative justice topics and develop scope/sequence.
• Model and co-facilitate restorative practices in classrooms and meetings.
• Offer individual and team coaching to admins and staff; advise on prevention and de-escalation.
• Collaborate with parents and community through outreach and focus groups.
• Develop student restorative skills via Peer Conference and student-led events.

Skills

Restorative justice

Facilitation

Relationship building

Stakeholder engagement

Coaching and training

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Public Administration / Education / Human Services preferred

Job description

++Restorative Justice Coordinator – Job Code 505051++

Description

Restorative justice is grounded in the worldview that fostering connection and belonging, addressing people’s needs, and building their skills is more effective in creating a healthy and safe community rather than punitive measures. The Restorative Justice Coordinator reports to the school principal and works directly with students, staff, admin, families, and school stakeholders to facilitate restorative practices, build schoolwide systems and capacity for restorative justice, and advance the reach of restorative justice in the CPS community.

Main job function:

Cultivate a schoolwide culture of healing and safety through accountability, skill-building, and relationships.

Primary Responsibilities:

1. Facilitate restorative practices across universal, targeted, and intensive tiers of support with all school community stakeholders
2. Facilitate Tier 1 proactive restorative practices with administrators, staff, students, and families (e.g. check-ins, establishing shared values, community building, restorative conversations, classroom talking circles and restorative communication to build community and celebrate students and achievements).
3. Facilitate and connect students, families, staff and administrators to appropriate Tier 2 and 3 responsive restorative practices (e.g. restorative conversations, peace circles, Peer Conference, re-entry processes, responding to crisis or trauma, and offering support).
4. Setting up and maintaining physical space for the implementation of restorative practices at all tiers (e.g. creating a school Peace Room or assisting teachers in creating classroom-based spaces for restorative work).
5. Provide training and coaching to build capacity within school community in restorative justice mindset and skills
6. Design and lead training for staff and administrators on restorative justice (intro to restorative justice, restorative communication, restorative conversations, talking circles, peace circles). Develop scope & sequence that meets the school’s restorative justice needs and goals.
7. Model and co-facilitate restorative practices in classrooms and in staff meetings, with an objective of building staff capacity to facilitate, including a restorative discipline protocol to communicate school-wide expectations for restorative justice practices
8. Provide individual and team coaching for administrators and staff to develop restorative justice skills; observe the facilitation of restorative practices and provide constructive feedback. When individual student social, emotional, and/or behavior issues arise, consult with school staff on restorative prevention, de-escalation, and intervention strategies, and identify opportunities for minimizing or addressing behavior issues in the future
9. Collaborate with and seek input from stakeholders, including parents and community members, through outreach, focus groups, and shared leadership
10. Develop students’ restorative justice skills through Peer Conference, restorative justice workshops for students, and restorative justice leadership and facilitation opportunities for students (including student-led community events)
11. Participate in the Chicago and CPS restorative justice community to further the growth of restorative justice
12. Participate in programming for Restorative Justice Coordinators, including communities of practice and coaching
13. Connect the school to local restorative justice-related community partners, resources, tools, professional development, etc.
14. Attend regular professional development training and coaching in restorative justice, cultural competency, anti-racism, trauma responsiveness, circle practice, and related topics
15. Develop data-informed strategic goals for schoolwide restorative practices implementation within the school’s Continuous Improvement Work Plan. Collecting and analyzing schoolwide data on the implementation of restorative practices to identify areas for growth, inform training and coaching offerings.

Required Training and Experience:

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is required; Public Administration, Education or Human Services preferred.
• Previous experience in a school setting/or working with adolescents
• Two years of training and/or experience in restorative justice and circle practice
• Ability to work after school and weekend hours
• Four years of direct experience implementing conflict mediation (e.g. de-escalation, facilitating conversations to repair harm) and positive youth development in a school or community setting
• Four years of experience building relationships and collaborations with students, teachers, administration, parents, and/or community partners
• Ability to interface with students, families, teachers, school leaders, and classroom support staff to find creative solutions to challenging problems

Benefits

Health & Wellness: Your Care, Your Choice
CPS is committed to providing comprehensive health coverage to our employees and their eligible dependents. You’ll have access to a variety of choices to best fit your needs:

• Medical Plan Options
• Pharmacy
• Dental
• Vision
• Behavioral Health & EAP
• Employee Wellness Program

Financial Security: Planning for Today and Tomorrow
We understand the importance of financial stability, which is why CPS offers strong retirement and savings options:

• Basic Life Insurance
• Life and Disability Insurance
• Pension Plans
• Supplemental Retirement Plans (403(b) and 457(b))
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
• Spot Pet Insurance

Work-Life Balance: Supporting Your Personal and Professional Life
CPS values the well-being of its employees and offers competitive paid time off policies:

• Paid Leave
• Sick Leave
• Vacation Days
• Parental Leaves
• Short-Term Disability
• Religious Holidays
• Leaves

Reference the Chicago Public Schools: A Comprehensive Benefits Overview or the benefits handbook for comprehensive details.