Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Discipline topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Dover district reports 123 student-safety incidents in fall reporting period; vaping violations decline
Summary
Officials presented the state-mandated Student Safety Data System report covering Sept.–Dec. (period 1), recording 123 reports including 17 confirmed harassment/intimidation/ bullying incidents and a decline in vaping-related removals.
Pat Pandolfo, the district’s director of student intervention and anti-bullying coordinator, told the Board of Education on March 18 that the district logged 123 Student Safety Data System (SSDS) reports for period 1 (September–December).
The SSDS report tallied 36 items classified as “incidents,” 46 “other incidents leading to removal,” and 42 “HIB alleged” (reports that triggered an HIB investigation but did not meet the HIB threshold). Under the incidents column Pandolfo said there were 17 HIB confirmed cases, 13 incidents of violence, three vandalism incidents and two weapons incidents. Pandolfo said vaping accounted for about 20 percent of the 46 incidents that led to removal.
The report showed a small increase in total reports from the same reporting period a year earlier (123 this year vs. 117 last year). Pandolfo said confirmed HIB cases and HIB-alleged investigations rose slightly; vandalism also increased by two compared with last year’s period 1.
Superintendent (title not specified) Mr. Jaime and board members asked how the district is using the data. Jaime said the district has responded by expanding in-class presentations and small assemblies led by counselors and technology staff focused on social norms, cyber safety and reflection exercises. He added the district uses reflection sheets and counselor follow-ups so school staff can develop individualized interventions and provide family outreach when appropriate.
Pandolfo said some students receive formal intervention plans and that certain social groups and counseling strategies are deployed when staff identify students who are “recidivists” or who need individual attention. When board member Doctor Sainer asked whether “other incidents leading to removal” include both in-school and out-of-school suspensions, Pandolfo confirmed both types are reported to the state as required.
Why this matters: The SSDS is the state’s required collection tool for suspensions and HIB reporting; boards must review results twice yearly. The district’s data will inform counseling interventions, targeted assemblies and other behavioral supports as administrators plan for the rest of the school year.
Ending: Board members requested more school-level data and continued updates on trends; district staff said they will provide comparisons and use existing assessment data to track progress and program effectiveness.
