In my heart, I knew that Christ would have found a way to administer grace to this girl. Within several days, a plan was formulated and approved by our school board and church deacons. We called it the Spiritual Restoration Plan. Its purpose was to balance the law of the school's code of conduct with an avenue for restorative grace. It was crafted in such a way that it would not be perceived as being soft on sin, but it did provide a way by which students could be restored into the student body.
Scripture supports the concept of a process for spiritual restoration.
Matthew eighteen and Galatians six are two obvious examples of how restoration can be undertaken and what the goal of spiritual restoration should be. It is sometimes easier and more convenient to adopt a rigid mentality that disposes of unseemly problems. And sometimes, the expulsion of a few rebellious students will do much to improve the atmosphere and morale of a class or school. At the same time, most experienced educators can remember an occasion when a good student simply made a poor choice and succumbed to sin. The student's heart is broken, repentance is genuine, and it is my opinion that God expects us to respond according to the example of Christ and become agents of His grace.