School discipline explained, progress reported

Faced with critics who question discipline policies at Lake Roosevelt Schools, officials Monday presented data and studies behind a direction they said is not only working better locally, but also mandated statewide.

Ready with a raft of statistics for Grand Coulee Dam School District directors at a special meeting, Elementary Principal Lisa Lakin, Mark Herndon and Elementary Dean of Students Shamra Steffler told the school board that incidents of undesirable student behavior are way down from last year, thanks to programs put in place to address root causes.

Student A, for instance, has exhibited “impulsive anger outbursts” since second grade, but with counseling, medical support and the support of “a team of staff members” and other professionals working with him daily on “social-emotional learning,” he now knows how to control his anger, said one of several summaries of student improvement.

The sixth-grader’s reading level has increased by three and a half grade levels, and he’s gone from almost daily “blowouts” last school year to only two since January.

That child’s ACE score was seven out of 10, and that’s not a good thing.

ACE stands for Adverse Childhood Experiences. Studies have found that trauma in a child’s life has a big impact on mental and physical health. Everything from physical or sexual abuse to disfunction in the home, such as substance abuse or a divorce finds its way into classrooms. One study found that 36 percent of kids don’t suffer any of these factors, but 26 percent count one in their lives, and 12.5 percent have four or more. And they bring all that experience to the classroom, more than most schools at Lake Roosevelt.

Using “exclusionary” discipline measures like suspension backfires and makes the problem worse, Steffler said. She watched it happen in a student she had to suspend under school policy not long ago, she said.

Herndon said that Lake Roosevelt’s passed record on suspensions and expulsions far exceed the average across the state, which tracks such statistics and is rolling out new policies and laws that take research into account.

Herndon said the school’s new PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports) management system is making a difference, with discipline referrals cut from and average of 4.4 per day last September to just 1.29 a day in April.

Fighting has gone down from 163 reported in the 2017-18 school year to 28 so far this year across all grades.

The report came on the heels of stout criticism from a parent who volunteers in the school.

Superintendent Paul Turner said the staff has been working hard at training in the new paradigm of discipline, not punishment, but they realized that they now need to do better communication about what’s happening.

Colleen Cawston, the mother Clarissa Cawston whose critique at an April school board meeting was reported here, cautioned the board that statistics depend on their reporting to be accurate. And she urged consideration of the question of what’s not being taught to those students who could be learning more while staff attends to behavioral problems of a few.

Board Chair Rich Black urged Turner to arrange a presentation and discussion soon with the public and staff on the issue and on the progress reported.