In School Suspension ProgramsThe Spoken Truth By Stephanie Dallas

SHAPE YOUR KNOWLEDGE Through Making Logical Decisions

The Perspective for the In School Suspension Program

• The In School Suspension Program can be effective in school settings. The program is designed to provide students the opportunity to stay in the school environment. This intervention is implemented to help students shape their behavior in the school setting. The ISS program should be structured so parents, students, teachers, and support staff are aware of the expectations for the ISS program. In my personal opinion, students should be given a reasonable time frame so they can transition back in the classroom.

School Schedules• Some school has different periods or blocks to provide quality instructions. The block schedule may be

compiled with information for more than one day of instructions. More than three days can cause students to get further behind in the curriculum. Students with disabilities may be hindered in receiving services according to their IEP. I hope in the future, the board will specify days, so students will not stay in the ISS program for a long periods of time. The period should be implemented if a student receives a referral for that period, only give the student the period instead of the entire day unless the student exhibits the behavior in all of the other classrooms. The discretions will be left up to the principal to provide reasonable consequences.

The Pros of the ISS Program

• The students are given the opportunity to attend school and to receive their assignments in the ISS classroom.

• Students are given interventions to shape their behavior by technology programs and Aggression Replacement Training.

• Students are given the opportunity to relate to real life experience by role playing how to make good choices in the school setting and society.

• Students are given the opportunity to conference with the ISS teacher by verbal, written, artwork, or cultural arts to discuss their actions for being in the ISS classroom.

Continued Pros for ISS Program

• The ISS teacher collaborate with the students and teachers about their assigned work.

• ISS is designed to give student movement breaks, Social Skills lessons and additional resources to help them adapt to in and out of school events.

• Students are given the rules each day, however to check understanding they are asked to summarize, verbalized, or create artwork about the classroom expectations. Teacher notes and observations of student behaviors are documented to share with administrators and the educational team.

Continued Pros for ISS

• The ISS program classroom is designed for 21st century learners. Therefore the integrated technology is accessible for students to complete labs in Google classroom or Edmodo. The technology is implemented in the ISS program provides students with additional resources. Many assignments are technology based and ISS computers are available for students to complete the assigned work. Students may communicate with teachers through the computer and in person in the ISS classroom.

• PBIS interventions are implemented in the ISS classroom to track student progress.

Recognized Concerns in the ISS Program

• ISS can be over used and it becomes ineffective. Students that are assigned multiple days in the ISS classroom loses hope to earn their way out. Some students’ will take the “I don’t care approach”, if they are assigned to ISS 5 or more days. Some may become insubordinate and show aggression towards teachers and peers in the ISS environment.

• ISS can become a holding station for students to get approved for alternative schools. Some students level of anxiety may increase due to knowing they might stay in ISS for a semester and risk possibly failing the course. Participation grades are factored in for some student assignments. Especially in lab courses or elective programs. This may affect the student’s academic progress.

Recognized Concerns

• Teachers should not be authorized to terminate a student’s education. Administrators shouldn’t deny a student to be placed in ISS on a continuous basis for one particular class. Examples: Some students may remain in the ISS program for quarters and even the semester. Some students are affected because they miss out on classroom activities and group projects. They don’t get the opportunity to receive direct instructions to complete projects or classroom activities. If a student is in the ISS program for excessive days are we being reasonable about the consequence?

Recognized Concerns Continued

• When students return back to school after OSS suspensions. It upsets any students to return back to school and be placed in the ISS program for additional days. Students feel like they are getting punished twice and becomes annoyed. This may cause them to lose respect for authority figures.

• Students with disabilities should receive services in the ISS program. The case manager should designed schedules for all students to receive services according to the IEP.

• If a student enters the classroom with BIP’s, the principal should designate a teacher or support staff member to help the student transition in the ISS Program to minimize safety concerns based on the severity of the behaviors. Parents should be held accountable in making arrangements to pick up a child from school. The board will need to approve for students to be taken home if the parent ignores or fail to comply with picking up the student from school.

Suggestions

• The ISS Coordinator and Principal should collaborate with each other about the expectations. The ISS Coordinator should be able to make reasonable decisions to make sure the program is effective according to ISS procedures and state/ federal guidelines.

• If the student is not complying with ISS procedures. The student should be removed from the program if it interferes with other students learning and safety within the classroom.

• Cell phones shouldn’t be permitted in the ISS classroom. This should be discussed with the board. Example: Some students will call whoever to pose a safety risk in the ISS program and school setting due to what the student has communicated over the phone. Most of the time this will happen if the student has difficulty complying with school rules or fabricates the truth. The ISS Coordinator should be treated with respect as they communicate with students, parents, teachers, and administrators.

School Discipline Policy from Mrs. Dallas

• Students should be given the opportunity to write about the rules each day. This will provide positive reinforcement to help the students to become familiar with the expectations of the classroom. Assigned students to facilitate the rules to check understanding for the desired behavior. (3 to 5 minutes) This should be a classroom expectation. Place the assignment in student working folders. This assignment will hold students accountable for their classroom behavior. This will also provide students with the opportunity to write across the curriculum.

Policy Continued

• Good morning or afternoon, We are going to work as a team today, I believe in you! Remain positive to build a rapport with the students. Teachers should find team partners in their grade level to send students. Sending students to another classroom provides them with additional opportunity to shape their behavior without causing more disruptions in the classroom. The student will still receive direct instructions from the peer teacher’s classroom teaching the same course. This intervention will provide the student another opportunity to be successful in the learning environment. It also provides time for the student to gain self-control without disrupting the learning environment. Peer partners may assigned to escort the student to the assigned classroom. During planning, the teacher may give the student something in writing or discuss their actions in being removed out the classroom. Please refrain from emotions and communicate with the student in the presence of another adult to avoid allegations or fabrications of the truth. It is essential to contact the parent immediately before the student leaves campus. This will give the parents the opportunity to know what happen in the classroom. This can also be documented as a phone conference. Please allow the student to transition back in the classroom. Coach the student at the door by greeting the student and providing positive reinforcement.

Policy Continued 2nd Incident of the Behavior

• Send a PBIS team referral and request for assistance. Usually when you began to write a student up, it becomes persistent without hesitation. Sometime the student will use the behavior to escape being in the classroom. The teacher may use this strategy as a quick fix solution. After the PBIS team meet with the student and parents to gather information. The team may use a behavior contract to communicate with the student and parents about the behavior goals. Give this contract some time to be effective before writing the student up.

3rd Incident of the Policy

• If the behavior still continues in the classroom. The next step would be to send a referral and contact the parent about the referral. Make a copy of the documentation and send it electronically through email. You may also hand deliver it. Please make copies for parents o the administrators will have this documentation during hearings to communicate with the parents and students.

Conclusion

• ISS can be effective in school settings with administration support. The tone and the high expectations should be shared with students and parents. This program is designed for minor infractions to keep students in the learning environment to shape their behavior. The educational team should be proactive and not use ISS to avoid interacting with students. Administrators should discuss with teachers, parents, and student the school model for discipline. This should be consistent for documentation purposes.