UVALDE — Trustees at the July 10 UVALDE CISD meeting discussed student attendance, classroom disruption and behavior supports after staff presented mixed data on attendance and discipline.

Staff said overall attendance rose by 0.3% year-over-year, but acknowledged the metric varied by grade and cohort; student-discipline reports fell 30.5% after data cleaning and recoding, yet incidents coded as fighting and vaping increased at several campuses, and Morales campus showed a notable uptick.

Why it matters: Trustees tied student experience, teacher retention and the district’s academic goals to classroom environment. Several trustees pressed for clear, enforceable protocols so teachers have consistent administrative backup when incidents occur.

Interventions and training
District leaders described a multi-tiered approach. They said the district has written an MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Support) handbook and will train principals and staff on tier definitions and the referral process. The handbook, staff said, will clarify Tier 1 (classroom-managed) behaviors, Tier 2 (targeted interventions) and Tier 3 (specialist referral) and will include protocols for when administrators must intervene.

The district plans to bring several outside partners into campuses next year: Emergent Tree will work on behavior planning and building positive culture; NIET — funded by a grant — will provide coaching for principals to improve instructional leadership and PLCs; and the district intends to train teachers on classroom-management techniques that focus on reinforcing expected behavior.

Trustee concerns and teacher support
Trustees repeatedly said teachers need visible administrative backup during incidents, not only documentation. They also asked for plans that give teachers concrete classroom-management tools and a support response when students repeatedly disrupt instruction. Trustees urged staff to ensure consistency of discipline across campuses so students and families see equitable enforcement of the code of conduct.

Ending and next steps
Staff said MTSS training and outside coaching are scheduled for the coming year and will include an emphasis on classroom-management coaching, teacher professional development and clearer campus escalation procedures. Trustees asked that staff return with implementation timelines and metrics showing how MTSS and coaching reduce classroom disruption and improve attendance.