Preventing School Violence and Disruptive Behavior at Central
Preventing School Violence and Disruptive Behavior at Central High School 2011 -2012 Katie Graf March 30, 2011 EDU 701 University of New England
Overview �School violence affects everyone – students, faculty, families, and members of the surrounding community. �Violent and disruptive behavior is a growing concern among inner-city schools, often resulting in a threatening educational environment which is not conducive to learning (ISLLC Standard 2).
Statistics � According to the “Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2010” report, 38 schoolassociated violent deaths occurred between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009. � In 2008, students ages 12 to 18 were victims of approximately 1. 2 million nonfatal crimes at school. � During that same school year, 85 percent of public schools recorded that at one or more incidents of crime had taken place at school. - Robers, Zhang, Truman, & Snyder, 2010.
Inner-City Statistics � � During the 2007 -2008 school year, a greater percentage of teachers in city schools reported being threatened or physically attacked compared to those in suburban schools. Among teachers in city schools, there were at least five times as many public school teachers as private school teachers who reported being threatened with an injury during the 20072008 school year. According to the report, a higher percentage of city schools recorded 20 or more violent incidences in 2007 -2008 than suburban schools. Urban schools also experienced a higher rate of verbal abuse towards teachers, more incidences of widespread disorder in the classroom, and an increased gang activity. - Robers et al. , 2010
Bridgeport’s Mission “All Bridgeport Public Schools must be prepared to respond to an emergency or traumatic event in an organized and timely manner so that students and staff can continue to function effectively without additional trauma or the development of additional emergencies. ” -City of Bridgeport Office of Emergency Management & Homeland Security
Measures to Reduce School Violence �Proposal: • Implement Schoolwide Positive Behavior Supports System • Establish a more effective security management system • Increase professional development for teachers
Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Supports System �Beginning in the fall of the 2011 -2012 school year, Central High School will begin its implementation of the Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Supports System (SWPBS). �SWPBS is an approach that allows schools to effectively support student behavior – the program focuses on a more proactive approach to support student behavior (Simonsen, Sugai, & Negron, 2008).
Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Supports System (con’t) � SWPBS uses a three-tier approach to support student behavior: • Schoolwide prevention • Specialized group prevention • High-risk specialized prevention � Teachers and administrators will be required to collect and analyze data, including the number of discipline referrals, suspensions, expulsions, grades, and attendance records. • This data will be accessed through Power. School reports from the school’s IT office.
Steps in Implementing SWPBS 1. Central High School will establish an SWPBS team that includes an administrator, a small group of teachers, a social worker, a counselor, and parent volunteers (ISLLC Standard 4). • • The team will choose one person to serve as a leader, obtain at least 80 percent buy-in from the school staff, participate in SWPBS training, and employ an efficient data system that will be accessible by teachers and staff (Simonsen et al. , 2008). The team will then create an action plan for implementation of the program throughout the school year (ISLLC Standard 3).
Steps in Implementing SWPBS 2. SWPBS team will begin implementation of the program. 1. 2. 3. 4. Central staff will be asked to identify a small number of rules and expectations that all students will be expected to uphold. Posters and banners will be hung around the school to promote the desired behaviors. The team will create scripted lesson plans to teach expectations to students – SWPBS “Kick-Off Assembly” The team will increase active supervision in the school and establish strategies to acknowledge appropriate behavior (walking quietly to class with no signs of hats, i. Pods, cell phones, vulgar language, etc. ). 3. The team will create a staff reinforcement team that recognizes the efforts of staff members who successfully execute the program (ISLLC Standard 4).
Steps in Implementing SWPBS 4. Throughout the course of the year, schoolwide data teams will assess quarterly data and make recommendations to the SWPBS team regarding the effectiveness of various components of the program on reducing violent and disruptive behavior. �It is important for teachers to show imagination and creativity when working collaboratively to analyze data (Glanz, 2002). �The success of SWPBS lies in the teachers’ ability to identify problems with the program and suggest solutions to correct those problems.
Establishing a More Effective Security System � Along with implementing SWPBS, Central High School is also creating a new, more effective security system (ISLLC Standard 3). � This new security system includes: • Hiring additional security guards • Wanding everyone who enters the building with hand-held metal detectors • Implementing front desk check-ins • Closing off access to all but one entrance to the building • Creating a comprehensive, detailed emergency plan that all staff is familiar and comfortable with �Establish primary and secondary relocation centers �Establish clear lock-down procedures
Primary Relocation Center Central High School Kennedy Stadium 1 Lincoln Blvd. Bridgeport, CT 06606 Kennedy Stadium
Secondary & Alternate Relocation Centers Secondary Geraldine Johnson School 475 Lexington Avenue Bridgeport, CT 06604 (203) 275 -2500 Alternate Mount Aery Baptist Church 73 Frank Street Bridgeport, CT 06604 (203) 334 -9746
Lockdown Procedures Building principal will issue lock-down order by announcing a warning over PA system, sending a messenger to each classroom. � Direct all students, staff, and visitors into classrooms or secure rooms – ALL HALLWAYS MUST BE CLEARED IMMEDIATELY � Lock classroom doors. � Cover windows of classrooms. � Move all persons away from windows and doors. � Have all persons get down on the floor. � Allow no one outside of classrooms until building principal gives the all-clear signal. �
Security � All staff will be trained in new security policies and procedures at the start of the 2011 -2012 school year. � Students and staff will receive a detailed emergency planning and code of conduct book that will outline all security and disciplinary measures to be taken by the school. • Students and staff will sign a form saying that they have read and agree to the school’s policies.
Timeline April 2011 – Recruit staff (teachers, administrators, counselors, social workers, security) to take part in the new School Safety Committee for next school year. � June 2011 – Presentation to whole staff to introduce new measures that the school will take during the 2011 -2012 school year to reduce school violence and disruptive behavior. New measures will include: � • Implementation of the Positive Behavior Support system • New safety procedures � Summer 2011 – School Safety Committee meets 3 -4 times to review implementation logistics – begin teacher trainings in SWPBS model.
Timeline (con’t) � � � August 2011 – Full-day professional development training for all staff on the SWPBS model and new security measures being implemented at the start of the school year. September 2011 – “PBS Kickoff”- begin implementing PBS system with incoming freshman class – hold welcome back meetings for all grade levels and introduce new security procedures in place. October 2011 – Teachers, administrators, and guidance counselors identify at-risk students who pose a threat to the safety of the school and place them in counseling groups according to grade level and gender. September 2011 -June 2012 – Continue to collect data and meet with data teams to evaluate progress and make necessary changes to the program. September 2011 -June 2012 – Pilot PBS program with freshman class – implement weekly counseling sessions – conduct ongoing teacher trainings with staff on PBS and other behavior interventions. June 2012 -June 2015 – Continue implementing PBS model each year until all grades are participating – collect data on ISS/OSS rates and conduct surveys with staff and students to determine which policies are effective in reducing violence and disruptive behavior.
Challenges �Funding • If approved, funds for implementing SWPBS will be provided by the school’s Smaller Learning Community Grant. �If not approved by the SLC executive board, the school will have to come up with an alternate solution to funding the program • Funding for additional security could possibly mean the reallocation of staff �This could require several positions to be cut in order to make room for hiring staff that is necessary for insuring safety in our school
Challenges (con’t) �Insuring teacher and students buy-in • No matter what our position, we are ALL leaders at Central High School! • As leaders, we must see that possibilities exist where others see hopelessness (Glanz, 2002). • It is critical that we show enthusiasm and truly believe that our work is going to make a difference in the lives of our students. • If we believe strongly in our mission and model appropriate behavior, than so will our students.
Summary “Educational institutions are too complex for the one-person approach to leadership” (Glanz, 2002). �The goal of the Central High School administration is to work collaboratively with teachers and staff to achieve a common goal, which is to reduce violent and disruptive behavior.
Summary � It is the hope of the Central administrative team that the steps taken at the school level will have a positive impact on the surrounding community (ISLLC Standard 4). � According to Michael Fullan (2003), in order for policies to truly have a lasting impact, “the overall environment must improve from the top…there must be lateral development. ” � Central High School strives to build stronger relationships with members of the surrounding community who can support our cause.
References � � � Fullan, M. (2003). The moral imperative of school leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc. Glanz, J. (2002). Finding your leadership style: A guide for educators. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Green, R. L. (2009). Practicing the art of leadership: A problem-based approach to implementing the ISLLC standards. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Robers, S. , Zhang, J. , Truman, J. , Snyder, T. (2010). Indicators of school crime and safety: 2010. Washington D. C. : National Center for Education Statistics, U. S. Department of Education, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, and U. S. Department of Justice. Retrieved from ERIC database. Simonsen, B. , Sugai, G. , & Negron, M. (2008). Schoolwide positive behavior supports: primary systems and practices. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 40(6), 32 -40. Retrieved from ERIC database.
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