Waterbury schools report lower suspension trends, outline restorative practices, Yondr pouch use and mental-health partnerships

Waterbury School District officials told the Board of Education on Jan. 7 that in-school and out-of-school suspensions have trended down since the pandemic, and that the district is investing in restorative practices, device-management and community mental-health partnerships to further reduce exclusions.

Assistant Superintendent Gopi and other district staff reviewed half-year trend data for discipline and said restorative practices and new de-escalation strategies are being implemented across schools. The district reported 984 students contributing to the current year’s out-of-school suspension total (district enrollment cited as 18,802), and 28 school-related arrests year-to-date. Staff said 9 of those arrests stemmed from a large off-site stadium incident involving students, and that five arrests followed threats to schools earlier in the year.

Gopi explained that the district rolled out Yondr pouches — a device-management system used in grades six through 12 and in the middle-grade components of preK–8 schools — to reduce classroom disruptions. The presentation listed 615 Yondr interventions at the high school level and 57 documented interventions at the middle-school level (the presentation treats “interventions” as opportunities for warning and reteaching rather than formal discipline incidents). Teachers and administrators described Yondr as improving classroom engagement.

Officials signaled alignment with recently passed state legislation, Public Act 23-167 (Educational and School Climate Reform), which takes effect July 2025. The district said it has revised board policy to adopt restorative practices, is providing professional learning for administrators and teachers on restorative circles and is adopting trauma-informed instructional strategies. The district also reported partnerships with county and regional providers — including Connecticut Junior Republic, Klingberg clinicians, Wellmore Health and others — to expand school-based mental-health support and cited an online district “road map” and a video resource for students and families.

Board members asked about supports for younger students and family involvement. Staff said elementary screening tools (DESA SEL screener) are in use and that many community-provided supports are age-appropriate and linked on the district website. On parental involvement, staff said administrators are required to involve parents in restorative and disciplinary communications, and that the district coordinates releases of information when external providers are involved.

Officials described ongoing data-sharing and coordination with the Waterbury Police Department and said cross-checks have improved data accuracy. They also reported that other districts have visited Waterbury to learn from the Yondr rollout.

The presentation documented steps the district is taking to meet the new state law’s requirements and improve school climate, and it recommended continuing the current mix of restorative training, device management and community mental-health resources. No new formal board vote on a policy change was recorded in the provided transcript segments; staff described the policy revision and the professional learning series already under way.