§ 18A:37-38 — Definitions relative to restorative justice.

1. As used in this act: "Adverse childhood experiences" means severe childhood stressors that, when experienced prenatal to three years old, affect brain development and which are proven to be powerful determinants of physical, mental, social, and behavioral health across a lifespan. Adverse childhood experiences may include, but are not limited to, child physical or sexual abuse, child emotional abuse, child physical or emotional neglect, substance use disorder in the home, mental illness or suicidal behaviors in the home, incarceration of a family member, exposure to violence in the home or community, and parental divorce or separation. "Restorative justice" means a system of dispute resolution tools that allow all parties of a dispute to be involved in defining the harm and devising remedies while giving the necessary attention to community safety, victims' needs, and the need for offender accountability. Restorative justice practices shall include, but need not be limited to, student or community court, restorative circles, mediation, and conferencing. "Trauma-informed approach" means an approach that recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in students, families, staff, and others, and which responds by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices for the purposes of promoting resiliency and healing, resisting the recurrence of trauma, and improving educational outcomes. L.2019, c.412, s.1; amended 2023, c.177, s.31.