Lemon Grove to Lead 2025-26 LCAP With Districtwide Behavior, Discipline and Mental‑Health Focus

The Lemon Grove School District told the public at a June public hearing that it will center its 2025–26 Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) on positive behavior and student safety, prioritizing a districtwide discipline matrix, common schoolwide behavioral expectations and expanded training for certificated and classified staff.

Superintendent Vincent opened the LCAP presentation and said the district gathered input from families, staff and students and will “lead with goal two” — culture and climate — next year. Deputy Superintendent Rebecca Burton told the board the move responds to a jump in suspensions and the need for consistent interventions and supports.

Burton cited a preliminary jump in the share of students suspended at least once — from about 3.7% last year to approximately 5.48% in the most recent data — and said the district will focus on three pillars: (1) a collaboratively drafted discipline matrix intended to provide clear, consistent responses to behavior violations; (2) a single districtwide set of five age‑appropriate “scholarly behaviors” for preschool through eighth grade to improve transitions and expectations across sites; and (3) expanded training and coaching for teachers, leaders and classified staff so everyone uses the same research‑based approaches.

Burton said the discipline matrix work will take place in a summer working group and be in place by the first day of school. She described alternatives to suspension, expanded restorative practices training, and a newly approved behavior intervention program manager role as pieces of the strategy to reduce suspensions while maintaining safety.

Board members pressed for concrete implementation plans. Trustee Smith asked that rollout include experiential workshops and role‑play for parents and students so expectations are understood, not simply enforced. Trustee Robertson urged the district to sustain restorative practices alongside PBIS-style interventions. Several trustees recommended keeping the districtwide behavioral language concise and framed around mindsets and belonging rather than punitive terms.

Administrators said several important supports are not yet funded: long‑term safety investments (fencing, cameras, doorbells), stipends for restorative‑practice leads, alternative‑to‑suspension programs, additional full‑time assistant principal positions at high‑need sites and social‑worker roles beyond current grant funding. The district identified those items as “unmet needs” to inform budget planning.

Parents, teachers and staff attending the hearing stressed the centrality of school‑based mental‑health services. In public comment, Lemon Grove Teachers Association Vice President Britney Barnes urged sustained funding for school social workers and asked community members to post brief testimony videos on a CTA-hosted site to show the impact of those roles.

The board treated the presentation as an information item and directed staff to return the final LCAP for board approval at the June 24 meeting. Staff also agreed to provide the suspension data disaggregated by school in a forthcoming board memo so trustees can compare sites and target supports.

The presentation emphasized a prevention‑first approach — naming consistent expectations, shared language and staff coaching as the foundation for student learning — while acknowledging that some safety and program expansions will require additional funding to implement.