District officials on Jan. 8 presented a proposal to make Cohoes schools "trauma-skilled" through a two-year training and rollout aimed at improving student behavior, attendance and academic engagement, and the Board of Education discussed near-term safety actions while reserving formal approval for a future meeting.

The presentation, led by Dr. Bill Mundell, described a two-year program developed by the National Dropout Prevention Center and the Successful Practices Network that trains building teams in trauma-awareness and then has those teams train the wider school staff. "This program is a tier 1 student support intervention. It's for the general population and all students," Dr. Mundell said.

The proposal would begin in two buildings, initially funded with school improvement and Title IV grant funds, and would certify building team members as trauma-skilled specialists at the end of the training cycle. Dr. Mundell and other presenters said the program emphasizes social‑emotional supports alongside academics to reduce chronic absenteeism and classroom disruption and to increase student engagement.

Why it matters: Board members said the district faces concentrated incidents of serious misbehavior and community concern. Several trustees pressed for both a long-term investment and immediate steps the district can take to keep staff and students safe while the training proceeds.

During discussion, administrators identified short-term measures they said could be implemented quickly: exploring cell‑phone pouch programs to limit in-school phone use, adding one or two campus safety monitors, and extending safety-officer shift coverage into after‑school hours. The district also reported a separate, ongoing effort: an initial restorative-practices engagement at the middle school funded by a $20,000 grant through Mediation Matters.

District staff cited early signs that layered interventions can reduce disciplinary incidents. "At the end of Q1, we saw a 50% reduction in suspensions at the high school and about 40% reduction in referrals from last year," a district administrator said.

Board members repeatedly emphasized the need for parallel supports while the two-year program unfolds. Trustees asked for a clear budget plan, specifics about which staff would be trained, and how Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions (individual supports and specialized alternative placements) would be layered with the Tier 1 training.

Administration responded that the trauma-skilled program will be placed on the board agenda at a future meeting with a funding and implementation plan and that some safety items (additional monitors, shift changes) could be staffed immediately if the board supports them in upcoming budget and personnel actions.

Ending: Trustees voiced support for both the trauma-skilled approach and immediate safety measures, and asked staff to return with specific budget requests and timelines so the board can decide formally at a subsequent meeting.