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John Harris campus leaders outline attendance, discipline and PBIS steps after low quarter attendance
Summary
Interim principal Dr. Kirk Perez Estelle and assistant principals presented a concept plan for John Harris campus showing quarterly attendance below goals, higher incident and suspension counts for some students, and interventions including PBIS, a reset room, weekly attendance meetings and expanded supports for tiered interventions.
Interim principal Dr. Kirk Perez Estelle and assistant principals Kevin Dean and Cynthia Spencer presented the John Harris campus academic concept and quarterly progress report during the Feb. 11 meeting.
Dr. Perez Estelle said the school administered a baseline writing prompt to 771 brick‑and‑mortar students in December as part of a strategy to improve Keystone writing performance. He described a rubric grading process and said subsequent benchmark tests are scheduled for February and March.
On attendance and daily membership the team reported quarter‑level attendance for the campus of about 70.9% when HVLA/online‑attributed students are included; they said brick‑and‑mortar attendance alone was approximately 77% in the quarter. The presenters explained that Harrisburg Virtual Learning Academy (HVLA) and Cougar Academy students are formally attributed to John Harris for reporting, which affects aggregate percentages. Monthly attendance figures shown in the slides included months in the low 70s (e.g., 74.6% then declines into the low 70s across fall and winter months).
Administrators described operational and staffing challenges that affect attendance and instruction: daily substitute shortages, inconsistent classroom attendance taking, limited security monitors (the building currently operating with fewer monitors than budgeted), and students arriving late in the morning. School leaders said they hold weekly attendance team meetings with counseling and social‑work staff, conduct home visits, and coordinate with HVLA staff to improve attendance accuracy and outreach.
On behavior, the campus reports a large majority of students with zero or one referral but identified a smaller cohort (about 27–30 students) with more than 10 referrals. The school has experienced multiple significant incidents that required physical intervention and police response on some days; leaders said they had to institute lockdowns on rare, severe incidents to maintain safety. To reduce out‑of‑class time and improve instructional minutes, the school implemented a “reset room” for minor infractions so students can be returned to class later in the day; administrators said this change has reduced hallway disruptions and encouraged attendance to class.
The presenters described a pilot incentive ("cougar coupons") in ninth grade to reward positive classroom behaviors and said they planned to expand the pilot to 100% of ninth‑grade classrooms after the next marking period. They also described honors recognition events and targeted tier‑2/tier‑3 small‑group supports delivered by counselors and social workers.
Ending
Board members asked about gender differences in attendance rates, whether menstrual products are available, and how attendance is captured (kiosk check‑in, teacher attendance for each period, and challenges with kiosks and security lines). Administrators invited board members to visit the campus and reiterated that system and staffing fixes — consistent attendance taking, more security/entry staff and family communication — are in progress.
