A case of high school hazing: Applying restorative justice to promote organizational learning

While collegiate fraternity and sorority hazing are well documented problems that receive prominent attention, hazing at the high school level is also a serious issue. Across the nation, media headlines offer a continual reminder that high school hazing is not a phenomenon of the past. As high school principals seek ways to discourage and eliminate incidents of high school hazing, it may be useful to examine a model that was implemented after a nationally covered, major hazing incident that occurred at a large Upper Midwestern high school. The case study analyzes the incident at the time and a follow- up study of the school several years later. A restorative justice program was designed and successfully implemented to address both the hazing incident and a school and community culture of acceptance and encouragement. A follow-up study conducted 7 years after the original incident suggested that the behaviors and the culture had changed.