Cultivating Restorative Schools for Safe Communities

Community safety

Central LA East LA City of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a citywide benefit) South LA

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

PLN students are regularly exposed to instability—with over 4,000 unhoused individuals and high rates of mental illness (36%), substance use (33%), and domestic violence (38%) in the Skid Row neighborhood. The prevalence of violent crime within a half mile of PLN’s Charter Elementary School (CES) is 325 times higher than that of the broader 90021 area and 459 times higher near PLN Charter Middle School (CMS). At school, students face identity-based bullying—55% of CMS and 17% of CES students said it’s quite or extremely likely that someone at their school will experience bullying.
These conditions deeply impact students' sense of safety and wellbeing, damaging school climate and hindering learning—20% of PLN students were involved in disciplinary incidents, 41% of which were violent—indicating the need for a healing-centered approach rather than punitive. By expanding evidence-based practices, PLN aims to address root causes, increase protective factors, and foster safer communities.

PLN’s Student Belonging and Inclusion Policy (SBIP) will embed school social work (SSW) and restorative justice (RJ) practices into school culture to address bullying, discrimination, and exclusion—key drivers of community instability. The initiative will establish a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS) that fosters belonging, accountability, and wellbeing through school-wide practices. The SBIP and MTSS not only support students experiencing bullying but also provide interventions for students engaging in bullying behaviors, recognizing that harmful actions often stem from trauma, instability, and unmet needs.
In Tier 1 of the MTSS, teachers deliver identity-affirming lessons to build belonging and help students recognize, prevent, and respond to bullying. In Tier 2, SSW and RJ staff provide trauma-informed individual and group interventions, as well as intensive support. Finally, in Tier 3, SSW and RJ staff coordinate mental health referrals and connect families to internal and external resources. Outside the classroom, RJ staff lead identity-affirming circles and student leadership activities and provide coaching for educators. Together, the teams monitor student progress, promote teacher development, and support families through case management. Through this initiative, PLN aims to reduce suspensions; improve attendance; and create a replicable model that can foster safer, more connected school communities.

If successful, this initiative will transform schools into safe havens where healing, belonging, inclusion and equity are foundational. By expanding SSW and RJ practices, PLN is developing a replicable model that addresses the root causes of bullying, exclusion, and school-based trauma. Integrated supports lead to better attendance, behavior, and achievement—especially for low-income students. In the short term, PLN expects to see higher attendance, improved behavior, and fewer suspensions. In the long term, with continued investment in educators and cross-disciplinary care, this model will create ripple effects as it spreads to schools across Los Angeles County: increasing academic achievement, strengthening school climate, and disrupting cycles of harm. In this way, schools will not only be centers of learning, but also catalysts for community safety, resilience, and collective well-being.