School Safety and Bullying Information
Behavior Intervention Plans
When students exhibit consistent and significant behavior problems that interfere with their learning and/or others in the class or demonstrate significant emotional difficulties that interfere with learning and/or others, including frustration, anxiety, depression, fear, etc., a behavior intervention plan can be developed. This is always done with the input and written consent and permission from the student’s legal guardian before proceeding. Behavior intervention plans provide clear descriptions of the target behavior problem, objectives to correct it, preventative strategies, and what alternative/replacement behaviors we will teach the student. Positive reinforcement and consequences for non-compliance as well as home intervention/support are also agreed upon. Data is collected about student progress toward the developed goals and the plan is revisited regularly to determine effectiveness.
Check In / Check Out (CICO)
CICO is a Tier 2 PBIS intervention that is research-based, highly effective, and can be changed and adapted to suit any school or situation. The program consists of students daily checking in with an adult at the start of school to retrieve a goal sheet and encouragement, teachers provide feedback on the sheet throughout the day, students check out at the end of the day with an adult, and the student takes the sheet home to be signed, returning it the following morning at check in.
Dads on Duty
Schools that can find volunteers recruit dads to help supervise school grounds and support students. If you would like to help with this effort, please contact the building principal.
DARE
D.A.R.E. IS SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION EDUCATION AND MUCH MORE!
This year millions of school children around the world will benefit from D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), the highly acclaimed program that gives kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs, and violence.
D.A.R.E. was founded in 1983 and has proven so successful that it has been implemented in thousands of schools throughout the United States and many other countries.
D.A.R.E. is a police officer-led series of classroom lessons that teaches children from kindergarten through 12th grade how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free lives.
Graduated Consequences and Student Discipline
Per Policy 3330 students engaging in harassment, intimidation, or bullying will be subject to graduated consequences appropriate to the severity of the violation as determined by the Board, school administrators, or designated personnel depending on the level of discipline. Graduated consequences for bullying may include any of the traditional or alternative disciplinary measures or a combination thereof listed in the policy, in accordance with the nature of the behavior, the developmental age of the student, and the student’s history of problem behaviors and performance. However, depending upon the nature of the act, the District reserves the right to deviate from the process of graduated consequences to appropriately address the conduct at issue and move directly to suspension or expulsion proceedings. District personnel may also report the student’s conduct to the appropriate law enforcement officials.
Traditional Disciplinary Measures
- 1. Expulsion; 2. Suspension; 3. Detention, including Saturdays; 4. Clean-up duty; 5. Loss of student privileges; 6. Loss of bus privileges; 7. Notification to juvenile authorities and/or police; 8. Temporary removal from the classroom; 9. Meeting with the student and the student’s parents; and 10. Restitution for damages to school property.
Alternative Disciplinary Measures
- 1. Reflective activities, such as requiring the student to write an essay about the student’s misbehavior; 2. Mediation when there is mutual conflict between peers, rather than one-way negative behavior; 3. Counseling; 4. Anger management; 5. Health counseling or intervention; 6. Mental health counseling; 7. Participation in skills building and resolution activities, such as social-emotional cognitive skills building, resolution, and restorative conferencing; 8. Diversion or use of juvenile specialty courts; 9. Behavioral management plan; 10. Corrective instruction or other relevant learning or service experience; 11. Community service; and 12. In-school detention or suspension which may take place during lunchtime, after school, or on weekends.
HOPE SQUAD
Mental Health Partnerships
Hope Squad follows the Circles4Hope community model, which involves the collaboration of the entire community through community connections, school programs, and mental health partnerships. School participating in the Hope Squad program are required to have a partnership with a mental health agency, health department, private mental health provider, or other mental health facility. Mental health providers are encouraged to assist Hope Squads in QPR training, share mental health resources with the Hope Squad, participate in the school’s crisis team, provide training for school employees and community members, and aid in the mental health referral process.
Student Nominations
Hope Squad student members are chosen by their peers during a school-wide nomination process. This process often happens during a class that applies to all students, such as English or math. The nomination process can be done online or on paper. Students are nominated based on their listening skills, kindness towards others and easy to talk to.
Hope Squads are generally made up of 8-10 students per grade. However, the size of the squad can be adjusted to fit a school’s size and need.
Hope Squad members are students selected by their peers for being:
- Concerned about others
- A good listener and easy to talk with
- Someone you could turn to if you needed a friend
Nominees are vetted by teachers and counselors. Parents are notified and have the option to approve their student’s participation in the program. More detailed information about Hope Squad can be found by clicking on the following link.
https://www.jeffersonsd251.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Hope-Sqad.pdf
Kelso’s Choice
Kelso’s Choice effectively teaches young children peace-making skills. It is a proven resource to increase confidence, reduce tattling and is a preliminary tool to prevent bullying. Kelso’s Choice was created by two elementary school guidance counselors to fulfill the void of an effective and easy-to-implement character education program. It is engineered to grow with the children as they develop and as their conflicts become more complex. Additionally, each component is varied in style to keep students interested and engaged, lesson after lesson. There are tools for teachers, administrators, parents and others to use between lessons to strengthen the link between Kelso’s Choices and everyday situations.
Navigate360 Threat Assessments and Response Plans
All threats are taken seriously and investigated by the school principal, counselor, and as required, the school resource officer. We use Navigate360 to provide training and support for school administrators and counselors to determine if threats are real or transient. The Navigate360 model spans the full spectrum of safety, including threat detection and prevention, mental health and wellness, and safety management and preparedness – backed by research and developed by industry experts. Many threats are transient, meaning they were said impulsively or out of anger, but were resolved and no harm was truly intended or planned. If a real safety concern arises however, the school resource officer is involved and students are removed until the threat is dealt with. In most cases students can return to school with a response plan in place. Navigate360 provides training and templates for detecting threats and developing response plans when those are required for students.
One-on-one and Small Group Counseling
When students are over emotional and cannot calm down in an appropriate and brief amount of time, require more support and attention to address or solve a problem, or need more specific and individualized help to address issues our counselors are in the schools to help! If counselors believe they need to meet regularly with a student one-on-one or as part of a small group, they will obtain written consent and permission from the student’s legal guardian before proceeding with school counseling services. Counselors can help students with problem solving, restorative circles, reinforcing social strategies, structured recess, roll playing, stress and anxiety management (pausing, breathing techniques, positive affirmations), strategies to decrease bullying situations, and recognizing and responding to bullying while staying safe.
Optimistic Teaming (TOTEM)
Bullyology – Bullyology trains administrators and school teams in the “Prevention Trifecta” of Parent/Community Outreach, Authentic Reporting, and Resiliency Training. Where Bullyology is different and superior to every other bullying prevention program is the focus on a continuum of intervention and support for both sides of bullying. We are trained to intervene with students who are engaging in bullying behavior — as well as to provide immediate support to victims of bullying.
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based, tiered framework for supporting students’ behavioral, academic, social, emotional, and mental health. When implemented with fidelity, PBIS improves social emotional competence, academic success, and school climate. It also improves teacher health and wellbeing. It is a way to create positive, predictable, equitable and safe learning environments where everyone thrives.
Rehearsal Cards for Replacement Behaviors
Rehearsal cards from the book Behavior Academies: Targeted Interventions That Work! The strategy can be used during one-on-one or small group counseling, check in / check out, or for students on Behavior Intervention Plans. The rehearsal cards help students practice targeted life sills and replacement behaviors around major themes including hands to self, self-regulation, identifying emotional triggers, respect for others, self-control, civil discourse, social and cultural awareness, compassion, stress management, empathy, relationship building, self-confidence, self-advocacy, help seeking, to name a few.
Second Steps
Second Steps is a complete set of social-emotional learning lessons for students in Kindergarten-5th Grade. All students receive the Second Steps lessons during counseling time (a 30 minute special time that has been set aside each week for this purpose). There are 4 units that address skills for learning, empathy, emotion management, and problem solving. School counselors either teach the lessons themselves, or direct instruction that is provided by the School Companion or Behavior Specialist. Second Steps has a special researched based Bullying Prevention Unit that all students K-5 receive. You can learn more about it here: https://www.secondstep.org/bullying-prevention
Skills Streaming
Skills Streaming is a guide that supports students with 80 skills using a four-part training approach—modeling, role-playing, performance feedback, and generalization—to teach essential prosocial skills. School counselors either teach the lessons themselves, or direct instruction that is provided by the School Companion or Behavior Specialist.
STOP!T App
The District is using the STOP!T App in all of the elementary and secondary schools. STOPit is a mobile app that empowers any student to anonymously report school safety issues and reach out for help if they or a peer are facing a personal crisis or experiencing situations such as bullying, theft, mental health concerns, violence, sexual harassment, substance abuse or any other student safety concern. This app is available to students 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you wish to know what to do after construction accident, you can ask lawyers from here!
How it works:
The STOPit app has two important features:
- Report can be used by students to report incidents to school administrators, SROs and the Director of Student Services anonymously. Students can report as much detail as they would like and can even include photos, screenshots and videos. The report is received in real-time, allowing school personnel to quickly respond and begin taking the appropriate action.
- Get Help can be used to access local resources such as law enforcement, mental health centers, crisis hotlines and additional resources.
No student information is needed to use STOPit. The only way personally identifiable information will be accessible through STOPit is if a student voluntarily includes it within the content of a report or message. Each school has a unique code to ensure their anonymous report is instantly delivered to the appropriate school administrators and SROs.
Students are the most important first responders of school safety, as they are the eyes and ears of what is happening before, during, and after school. Offering this communication tool will enhance our layers of school safety and better promote a “see something, say something, do something” school culture.
Parents/students can access and report on the STOP!T App on a computer at https://appweb.stopitsolutions.com/login . Search for the school you are looking for and you will immediately be able to submit information anonymously.
Zones of Regulation
Feelings are complicated. They come in different sizes, intensities, and levels of energy that are unique within our brains and bodies. To make them easier to talk about, think about, and regulate, The Zones of Regulation organizes our feelings, states of alertness, and energy levels into four colored Zones – Blue, Green, Yellow, and Red. The simple, common language and visual structure of The Zones of Regulation helps make the complex skill of regulation more concrete for learners and those who support them. Students learn to regulate Zones to meet their goals and task demands, as well as support their overall well-being.