We Are the Movement: 2026 WSCADVSA Conference

When teacher misconduct and boundary violations came to light at Vashon Island’s only high school, the community faced a choice: react with blame or respond with intention. This case study traces how the Vashon Island School District and The DOVE Project built a multi-stakeholder workgroup grounded in restorative and transformative justice. With this work, producing four concrete pillars of change: district-wide training, redesigned reporting systems, community reparations, and a long-term cultural change plan.

The DOVE Project’s years of comprehensive prevention programming embedded in Vashon schools and built on trusted relationships across every stakeholder group uniquely positioned DOVE to step into this support role. Prevention organizations bring something no outside consultant can: existing credibility and trust with students, families, and staff. That foundation is what made neutral facilitation possible, and what made the community willing to come to the table.

This session makes the case that prevention programs across the region are not peripheral to addressing harm that youth experience in schools, but rather they are essential to it. When districts face harm, the organizations already doing daily prevention work are best positioned to help rebuild trust, center youth voices, and move toward lasting safety through youth-centered policy and practice reform.