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Paraprofessionals and union leaders press DPSCD for mandatory CPI/PBIS training after disciplinary cases
Summary
Union leaders and paraprofessionals told the board that lack of standardized training in CPI and PBIS contributed to staff discipline and proposed suspensions and terminations; superintendent acknowledged gaps and said district will develop more uniform training and pursue discussions with unions.
Detroit — Several Detroit Public Schools Community District paraprofessionals, union leaders and a school board committee raised repeated concerns on May 13 about gaps in training for ESE paraprofessionals and peer professionals and about disciplinary actions taken where staff lacked crisis‑prevention preparation.
Michelle Lee, who identified herself as president of ASME, told the board the district’s ESE support staff “have not been provided with the CPR or PBIS training that is essential for managing challenging behavior.” She said some paraprofessionals have faced 15‑ to 30‑day suspensions or termination for incidents that she said stem from missing training and inconsistent expectations.
Multiple paraprofessionals described being assigned duties they said exceed the role as written, such as acting as interpreters, performing behavior‑specialist data collection, serving as ad‑hoc security, fixing equipment, or working without CPI training. An ESE paraprofessional at the meeting urged the district to require “at least 2 weeks” of training that includes CPI before paraprofessionals begin classroom duties.
The superintendent (Dr. Vidi) acknowledged the district provides training but said the challenge is delivering uniform, multi‑day training without pulling support staff out of classrooms — an operational constraint that can be worsened by staffing needs and transportation or childcare limits that prevent after‑school participation. He said the district intends to propose a plan to negotiate required training with unions and to pay paraprofessionals for required training time.
Union speakers also asked the board to reconsider a termination recommendation for a veteran paraprofessional; a union representative requested the termination recommendation be rescinded and that the district review whether inadequate training contributed to the event. During the closed portion of the meeting board members approved several personnel motions on a variety of administrative terminations and nonrenewals; officials recorded an amended suspension recommendation for one employee (reduced from 30 days without pay to 14 days without pay) and removed one employee from a nonrenewal recommendation while the board took final action in closed session.
Board members and union leaders requested clearer standards for paraprofessional duties, consistent CPI/PBIS training, and an agreed process for addressing discipline claims that may stem from training gaps. The superintendent said the district will follow up with unions and the board on a detailed plan and funding in the next budget cycle.
