Student services reports lower referrals, fewer missed-instruction days; board asks for targeted school support

Student Services staff presented first-semester discipline, bullying/harassment and Title IX data Jan. 21 and told the Brevard County School Board that several key indicators improved compared with the previous year’s first semester.

“What we’ve actually seen is some decrease in our overall total referral count — approximately reducing by 4% from this time last year,” said Mr. Armstrong, a Student Services staff presenter. Staff said the district also saw a decline in office-discipline-referrals and fewer days of in-school suspension; district leadership summarized combined reductions in missed-instruction days.

Why it matters: Fewer referrals and fewer suspension days typically keep more students in class and reduce instructional loss. Staff tied the improvements to summer and ongoing trainings, changes to reporting forms and a revised process for handling bullying, harassment and Title IX reports.

Key data and program changes presented - Referrals: staff reported roughly a 4% decrease in…