Using Positive Behavior Support to Build Your Code of Student Conduct

1. Using Positive Behavior Support to Build Your Code of Student Conduct Brandi Gonzales, LCSW Lafayette Parish School System Supervisor of Child Welfare & Attendance

2. Overview of Today’s Session • Establishing the Team • Reviewing the Basics with Staff • Expectations(Goals) Developed • Evaluating Existing Data • Referral Process • Rules Developed • Effective Interventions for Rule Violators • Faculty/Staff Buy-In • Implementation Plan Established • Lesson Plans for Teaching • Evaluating Efforts

3. Lafayette Parish School System at a Glance2008-2009 • Total Students 29,643 • Total Schools 41 • Percentage White 51.81% • Percentage Minority 48.19% • Percentage “At Risk” 57.76% LADOE Multiple Statistics for Total Reported Public School Students, February 2009

4. Establishing the Team • Katherine Landry-Deputy Superintendent • Brandi Gonzales-Supervisor of Child Welfare & Attendance • Anne Smith-Special Education • Barbara Friedrichs-Coordinated School Health and Intervention Coordinator • Carolina Figueroa-Attendance Administrator • Rebecca Kreamer-Educational Consultant

5. Key Elements Present on Team • Administrative Support • Behavioral Expertise • Regular Education • Special Education • Legal Expertise

6. Reviewing Principles of Behavior • The Team reviewed the current Lafayette Parish Code of Student Conduct • LPSS used a punishment model. Punishment by definition is “the practice of imposing something unpleasant or aversive on a person or animal, usually in response to disobedience, defiance, or behavior deemed morally wrong by individual, governmental, or religious principles.” • Deputy Superintendent Landry posed the question “Is what we are doing changing behavior?” • Our punishment model was in many cases actually serving as positive reinforcement thus increasing the problematic behavior!

7. Expectations Developed:What do we want? • Superintendent Lemoine made three requests: • Be consistent • Design consequences that change behavior • Involve parents • What did administrators want? • Clarity • Preservation of instructional time • Immediate and effective consequences • Campus safety

8. Expectations Developed:What do we want? • What do parents want? • Increased communication • Fair outcomes-let the punishment fit the crime • Easy to understand • What do teachers want? • Classrooms free from disruption • Increased communication • Consequences that change behavior

9. Overall Goals of Redesign • Proactive • Data Driven • Consistent Application of Discipline across Schools • Increased Communication among Stakeholders • Effective Interventions/Consequences • Reduction in Out of School Suspensions and Expulsions (loss of instruction)

10. Evaluating Existing Data • Far to often districts revise their Codes of Student Conduct based on qualitative data rather than quantitative data. • The Discipline Matrix Committee did an in-depth study of not only school data but also community indicators of youth behavior.

11. PBS Trained Schools • All school trained in School Wide Positive Behavior Support • 14 in Year 1 of implementation • 11 In Year 2 of implementation • 16 in Year 3 (+) of implementation • 3 schools trained in Secondary PBS • 3 school labeled Demonstration Sites

12. Lafayette Parish School SystemSuspension and Expulsion Rates2001-Present Percentage of total Students

13. Lafayette Parish School SystemAlternative School Referrals Number of Students Referred School Year

14. Lafayette Parish School System Disciplinary Rates as compared to State Averages for 2007-2008 Percentage of total Students

15. Lafayette Parish School System Drop-out Data as compared to State Averages 2006-2007 Percentage of Students

16. Juvenile Justice Statistics • The Acadiana Region (Evangeline, Acadia, St. Landry, Vermilion, Lafayette, Iberia and St. Martin Parishes) ranks 3rdin Louisiana for number of youth in the criminal justice system. • Lafayette Parish was 1st in the region!

17. Referrals by Reason Code2007-2008

18. What we learned about our data: • Too complex (163 Behavior Infraction Codes and 68 Disposition Codes) • Unclear, Overlapping, Multiple Interpretations • Retrieval was time consuming and inaccurate • Useful data was not being collected correctly (time of day, location, referring staff)

19. Data Changes Proposed: • Create a new coding system which matches the state SIS codes • Reduce Infraction Codes from 163 to 49 • Reduce Disposition Codes from 68 to 32 • Operationally define behaviors using SWIS definitions as a guideline

20. Referral Process: What happens when students are disciplined? • We reviewed current processes in discipline-those outlined in policy and those actually used in practice • We reviewed state laws which govern the disciplinary process

21. Changes Made to the Referral Process-Minor vs. Major: • We required every school to have a documented Minor Infraction Policy through PBS • We required administrators to comply with the Minor Infraction Policy and educate teachers regarding this process when inappropriate referrals were made

22. Changes Made to the Referral Process-Parental Involvement: • Parental contact by phone (not notes, not a copy of the state form, not automated messages) is mandatory for detention, in school suspension, Saturday Intervention, out of school suspension, and recommended expulsion • Parents must come to school for a face to face conference for all students returning from out of school suspension • Parents are required to attend Saturday Intervention with students

23. Changes Made to the Referral Process-Threat Assessments: • Required for all incidences when a student or staff member has been threatened or school safety has been compromised (bomb threats) • Researched based tool used • Outcomes of assessment guide intervention (discipline, mental health, law enforcement) • Mental Health and School Staff complete jointly

24. Rules DevelopedA look at our History: • 2005-2006 and before • Behaviors were grouped into three Categories: A, B, or C • There were four Steps in the Discipline Process: • Step One-Behavior Clinic • Step Two-Discipline Center • Step Three-Suspension (1-3 days) • Step Four -Recommended Expulsion • Category A Behaviors were issued Step One • Category B Behaviors were issued Step Three • Category C Behaviors were issued Step Four

25. Some Examples from the 2005-2006 Policy • Violation of the Uniform Policy or tardiness were Category A offenses which resulted in Step 1-assignment to Behavior Clinic (detention) • Disrespect of Authority, disobedience, and displaying public affection were Category B behaviors that resulted in Step 3-assignment of Out of School Suspension • Verbal assault/threatening, fighting and vandalism were Category C behaviors that resulted in Step 4-Recommnded for Expulsion

26. Rules Developed A look at our History: • 2006-2007 Student Code of Conduct Revision: • Defined behaviors operationally • Created a range of consequences • Revised fighting policy to provide graduated consequences • Required implementation of PBS in all schools

27. An Example from the 2006-2007 Policy

28. Rules Developed: Introducing the Concept of a Discipline Matrix • Modeled from Broward County School District in Southern Florida • Creates a systematic application of discipline across schools • Individualizes the interventions and consequences to the behavior

29. Take a Look at the Matrix

30. Improvements from Prior Polices/Codes of Conduct: • Strengthened behavioral definitions • Gave step by step consequences rather than ranges • Tailored interventions to behavior infractions • Expanded what we think of as consequences • Accounted for progression within an infraction and across infractions with limits on interventions

31. Effective Interventions for Rule Violations: • New Interventions were developed based on the data analysis • Mindset shift from punitive to rehabilitative • Redesigned some existing interventions • Incorporated best practices into process

32. New Interventions: • Threat Assessments • Restitution/Apology • Saturday Intervention • Behavior Assessment Plan • School Specific Interventions • Loss of Privileges • Probation Card • Alternative to Suspension

33. Using the Data • Analysis of data indicated that Lafayette Parish students were referred to the office in three major areas: • Disobedience • Disrespect • Fighting/Physical Aggression

34. Saturday Intervention • Structured educational sessions for parents and students who are disciplined for willful disobedience or disrespect • Held at one site every Saturday from 8:00-12:00 • No transportation provided • Staffed with certified teachers and licensed mental health professionals

35. Alternative to Suspension • For students who are in a fight for the first time in a school year • Suspension off-site for one to three days • In lieu of an Out of School Suspension • Staffed by a Certified Teacher • Intensive interventions aimed at conflict resolution, anger management, and exercising self control

36. Refining Existing Programs • Purchased new intervention materials from Advantage Press at www.advantagepress.com/2007/discipline.html • Materials were aligned to the Discipline Matrix and given as assignments during Before or After School Detention and In School Suspension • Tailored the intervention to the behavioral violation

37. Parental Involvement • Return from Suspension Conferences now mandatory after out of school suspension • Parental participation mandatory at Saturday Intervention • Personal, direct parent contact now required for certain offenses-no messages, no notes

38. Faculty and Staff Buy-In • Buy-In was encouraged throughout the process by involving key groups: • Administrators at every level • Bus Drivers • School Counselors • District Discipline Committee • Superintendent • Teacher Organizations • School Resource Officers • Juvenile Court Judges • Youth Planning Board • Open Parent Meeting

39. Faculty and Staff Buy-In • Reminded everyone this was a process • Committed to a review following six months of implementation • Heard comments/input from ALL areas

40. Implementation Plan Established • Mid-year implementation beginning January 1, 2009 • Bus Matrix for all students • Middle and High School Matrices • Elementary Matrix planning for Fall 2009 • Training in December 2008 for all administrators, all teachers, all bus drivers, all clerical staff

41. Lesson Plans for Teaching • Video produced by Acadiana Open Channel • Power Point presentation developed for Middle and High School students • Hands on computer entry training for all staff • On-going technical assistance through Blackboard Discussion Boards, e-mail list serves

42. Evaluating Efforts • Reviews held with administration from every level, bus drivers, teachers, District Discipline Committee in spring/summer 2009 • Data reviewed (compliance reports) • Modifications made • Elementary Matrix developed • Modified district policy regarding cell phones

43. Preliminary Data:Semester 1 vs. Semester 22008-2009 Total # Assigned

44. Next Steps:On-going Evaluation and Progress Monitoring • On-going training planned for Fall 2009 • Data monitoring on monthly basis • Compliance monitoring

45. Contact Information Brandi Gonzales Lafayette Parish School System Child Welfare and Attendance bjgonzales@lpssonline.com To view the Matrix: www.lpssonline.com/site3746.php