Culturally Responsive Discipline

To support teachers and administrators in correcting inappropriate student behavior fairly and consistently, BVSD has developed a discipline matrix to identify appropriate interventions and consequences for improper student conduct. The matrix applies to minor issues such as disruptions in class, up to more significant behaviors that would call for more serious consequences such as suspension or expulsion. Teachers and administrators have been receiving training on how to use the matrix as well as in effective classroom management practices, implicit bias and culturally responsive practices. This work is supported at the district level with revised discipline policies and increased transparency and standardization in discipline data collection and reporting.  

Accomplishments 

• Board adopted significantly revised Student Conduct and Discipline policies in June 2020

• Created systems that generate transparent behavior and discipline data

  • District replaced entire system of coding student behavior and discipline to use clear definitions aligned with federal and state reporting categories
     

• Created platform (Vizlab, Tableau report) to display conduct and discipline data including on basis of race, gender, and disability
   

• Developed a Discipline Matrix to identify appropriate interventions and consequences for student behavior in order to align the internal system between people and schools

On-going Work

• Student Conduct and Data Review team (representatives from each school)

  • Pre-training work over summer, all day training in August with over 140 participants

  • Monthly meetings average 130 participants 

    • Created quality standards/checks for data 

    • Standardizing methods of documenting student behavior 

    • Aligning responses to student behavior across people and schools 
       

• Ongoing work to expand use of comprehensive alternatives to exclusionary discipline through culturally responsive and restorative lens

  • Creating a toolbox of alternatives used in schools and are continuing to work to expand its use

  • Providing professional learning in effective classroom management practices, implicit bias and culturally responsive practices

  • Increasing use of restorative practices to address student behavior, including through use of centralized supports while building school capacity
     

BVSD has hired a new restorative practices coordinator to support, expand, and provide consistency around restorative practices in the district. The goal of using restorative practices is to build a warm and welcoming culture within the classroom that is built to handle the occasional disagreement. In some cases, however, the situation is more serious and can call for a more formal process – restorative justice. In a restorative justice process, the person who caused harm and the person who was harmed sit together in a facilitated conversation. The person who was harmed expresses what happened, how they were impacted, and what needs they have to repair the harm caused. The person who caused the harm expresses their thoughts about the incident. Both parties come away with agreement items so that everyone can grow and learn from the process and have strategies in place to prevent something like this from happening again.

Read more about BVSD's new Restorative Practices Coordinator here.

WATCH VIDEO: New Vista High School students share their experience with Restorative Justice
 

BVSD is strengthening its support for students regarding discrimination and sex-based harassment, including sexual violence prevention. The district has hired a new Equity Counsel/Title IX Coordinator to serve as BVSD’s Compliance Officer. The officer is responsible for guiding educators through the process of investigating reports of sex-based harassment and discrimination, as well as educating staff about Title IX, including statutory limitations it imposes on schools and the school district’s purview in this area. BVSD has also taken other steps related to Equity and Title IX:

• Updated policies
  BVSD has been working to strengthen sexual harassment policies (GBAA-English/ GBAA-Spanish and JBB) and investigation procedures (AC, AC-R, AC-E2 English). (AC, AC-R, AC-E2 Spanish).
   
• Improved reporting system
  BVSD has continued to improve training for staff, and to clarify the district’s systems and supports for students impacted by discrimination or sex-based harassment, including sexual violence. Students are encouraged to report discrimination or sex-based harassment to an adult they trust, whether it is a school counselor, administrator or law enforcement. Reports can be made verbally or in writing. Written reports can be made using the Board's complaint form, AC-E2 (English)/ AC-E2 (Spanish) or by email to TitleIX@bvsd.org.
   
• Links to resources
  BVSD has worked to make information readily available on the district and school websites, including through the Sexual Violence and Harassment Prevention and Help for Students webpages.

Read more about BVSD's new Equity Counsel/Title IX Coordinator.

Over the course of 2021, BVSD worked with the community to develop a new position to provide another layer of safety for students. In October 2021, 10 School Safety Advocates (SSA) joined the administrative teams at all district schools. Bringing on the advocates is one step the district took prepare for ending the current School Resource Officer program in January 2022. 

This is a student-focused position and the advocates work directly with students to build relationships of trust with the goal of helping kids be safe and feel safe at school. The SSAs also work closely with school counselors, mental health professionals, and Student Services staff along with community partners to provide full wraparound services where needed. In addition, the advocates interact daily with the school administrative team to understand what concerns or issues there are at the school that are impacting safety or the feeling of safety. When there are concerns, they work with the school staff to resolve the issues. Although they are part of the administrative team, they are not responsible for disciplinary actions. 

The SSAs also play an important role in the school's emergency preparedness planning and have strong emergency management backgrounds. They assist with emergency preparedness functions and making sure school emergency response teams are well trained, know the plan, and their roles. They will be a liaison with law enforcement when necessary, but will not handle criminal issues.

To prepare for their new roles, the SSAs participated in an extensive, 3-week training program. The program was developed, in part, based on suggestions from BVSD stakeholder groups and included topics such as: 

• Mandatory Reporting & Safety Vortex
• Claire Davis School Safety Act 
• Anti-bias/Cultural Competence 
• Affirming Gender and Sexual Diversity
• CPR/AED/First Aid
• Crisis Prevention Institute training
• Title IX
• Standard Response Protocol/Reunification/Drills/Emergency Management 
• Mental Health First Aid
• Restorative Practices
• RISE
• Bullying Investigations
• Safe 2 Tell

Read more about the School Safety Advocates in the Daily Camera.

BVSD has been working in a variety of ways to prevent bullying for a number of years. Since the adoption of All Together for All Students in 2019, the district has taken some significant steps to educate staff and students about preventing bullying and have made it easier for parents, particularly parents of color, to report it. In June 2020, the Board revised its bullying policy to include a process for investigating and responding to bullying complaints. At the start of the 2020-21 school year, teachers and staff received professional development for bullying prevention. In addition, units on bullying prevention have been incorporated into BVSD’s curriculum and were rolled out in the fall of 2020. Learn more about bullying prevention in BVSD. 
 

BVSD has long recognized the need for mental health support for students in schools, even at the elementary level. In 2017, BVSD began the elementary counseling program and expanded the number of mental health advocates in the district. This year, more mental health advocates were hired, bringing the total to 11, and joining a team of 29 counselors at elementary schools. These student support team members work directly with students and collaborate with 

teachers and administrators to determine how best to support students. They also collaborate closely with parents and provide resources as well as direct support. 

Learn more about what BVSD is doing to support students’ mental health. 

More resources are available here. 

Over the past few years, many BVSD educators have received training in RISE, a whole-school social-emotional learning program that builds trauma-responsive school climates and promotes resilience in staff and students. The RISE approach includes a set of practices and strategies that build social-emotional and academic competencies. Learn more about the RISE program.

In November 2020, the Board of Education acted on the recommendations of the District Accountability Committee and the Equity Council and voted to end the current School Resource Program. The recommendations came after months of discussion among parents, students, community members and staff in response to concerns shared by families of color that their students do not feel safe with police officers in schools. 

Since then, BVSD has been working to revise emergency operations protocols and plans to ensure continued safety. Discussions with local law enforcement agencies to revise Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) to define what the district’s relationship with the agencies will look like going forward are on-going.