2. Within six months of the effective date of this act, the Commissioner of Education shall establish a three-year “Restorative Justice in Education Pilot Program” to implement restorative justice practices in the public schools. The program shall address school discipline issues through the implementation of restorative justice practices that include a trauma-informed approach. The goals of the pilot program shall be to:

a. reduce racial disparities in school discipline which result in an inequitable loss of classroom time among certain student groups, thereby boosting the academic outcomes of these students;

b. improve the socioemotional and behavioral responses of students through the use of more appropriate, and less punitive, interventions, thereby establishing a more supportive and inclusive school culture; and

c. reduce recidivism rates among students who violate the school district code of conduct through the use of more effective and targeted restorative justice interventions.

L.2019, c.412, s.2.