Principals outline bullying response: reporting channels, ISI, PRISM training and SRO support

Jacobson Middle School and Tachby High School principals briefed the Tachapi Unified School District Board of Trustees on Aug. 12 about the district's bullying prevention, investigation and intervention procedures, outlining multiple reporting routes, safety steps when students express self-harm, and a mix of disciplinary and restorative responses.

The presentation, led by Principal Labatique and Principal Adamson, laid out how students and staff can report incidents in person to any adult on campus or via the Say Something app, and described immediate steps school staff take when a report indicates risk of self-harm. "The more legal definition of what we call bullying, it's an unwanted aggressive behavior that involves a real perceived threat or power imbalance," Principal Labatique said. "Bullying behavior is repeated and has the potential of being repeated."

The board heard why the district uses an investigation-first approach and routine follow-up checks. "Once we become notified ... the first thing we do is review the report. Depending on what has happened, we look at, do we need to do an immediate interim safety measure?" Principal Adamson said. He described interviewing witnesses, gathering screenshots or messages when available, and documenting follow-up even after an initial intervention.

Principals described intervention options used depending on severity, including counseling referrals, In-School Intervention (ISI), Alternative-to-Suspension (ATS) placements, conflict mediation and restorative justice practices. Adamson noted that ISI is intended both to remove a student from a general setting and to teach skills: "It's twofold ... 1, as a removal from the general setting, but 2, to teach a skill." He and other presenters also referenced California Education Code provisions that limit which behaviors are immediately suspendable and require restorative steps before suspension is applied.

Trustees pressed administrators on operational details. Trustee Napier raised a concern about cases in which two students involved in a dispute were placed in the same ATS classroom and the safety risk that can create. "That's to me, that creates, puts kids in a very bad position," Napier said, asking how the district prevents retraumatizing targets. Administrators said schedules and staffing are reviewed case by case; ISI rooms will have at least two adults this year, and campus supervisors and office staff have been trained to separate involved students and witnesses while investigators gather facts.

Staff described timing and parental notification practices: counselors generally verify basic facts with the student first and then contact parents; if a case appears serious staff may notify parents earlier in the process to reduce retaliation risks. Administrators said the Say Something app is introduced to students in assemblies and in counselor-led classroom lessons; one principal said a welcome-back video would introduce the app to students the next school day and counselors would follow up in the second and third weeks of school.

New or emphasized elements the principals highlighted include the PRISM training for secondary teachers (described by presenters as a new program to identify and support marginalized student groups), ongoing suicide-prevention training that stresses direct questioning, and partnerships with the Tachapi Police Department. Chief Richard Standridge said the district's School Resource Officer (SRO) will be more visible at times of student transition and lunchtime and is to be used as a resource: "He is a resource. He is not here to be the corporal punishment. He is not here to be the law on campus. He is here as a resource and his law enforcement is secondary to that," Chief Standridge said.

Board members asked for ongoing communication about outcomes. Trustee Napier said the board expects district staff to "follow the letter of the law" and to escalate consequences where state code and local policy permit. Administrators noted that repeated misconduct can result in progressive discipline, including suspension and, when appropriate, referral to law enforcement.

Administrators also described operational clarifications: the ISI program has a new lead this year (Ryan Lucker), some ISI staff shifted over summer, classrooms used for ISI are in portable buildings with limited capacity, and campus layout changes were made to allow separation and monitoring. They said student support teams will run monthly SEL lessons and provide ongoing check-ins after incidents.

Trustees and administrators agreed on continued monitoring and promised follow-up information on program details, staffing for ISI/ATS, and the PRISM implementation schedule.