Burnsville High outlines supports, ninth-grade academy changes and new cellphone practice

At a meeting of the Burnsville Public School District Board of Education, Burnsville High School Principal Jesus Sandoval reviewed programs and practices the school says are intended to raise graduation rates and increase student engagement.

Sandoval said the school is emphasizing three pillars — respect, responsibility and engagement — and a seven-part “profile of a learner” that includes financial readiness, civic knowledge and cultural proficiency. He told the board the school is strengthening Tier 1 instruction through department-level professional development and an evolving set of instructional guarantees intended to make core classroom expectations consistent across teachers.

“The instructional guarantees . . . ensure no matter what classroom a student walks into we have some fundamental pieces that are across the board,” Sandoval said.

The presentation said staff are building a schoolwide walkthrough tool to measure how those guarantees are implemented; the school leadership team will use that tool at a December retreat. Sandoval also described four systematic supports being used schoolwide: MTSS (multi-tiered systems of support), AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), culturally proficient school systems (CPSS) and PBIS (positive behavioral interventions and supports).

Sandoval reviewed the ninth-grade academy, now in its second year. He said the school reduced the number of teams in the academy from four to two after finding smaller team groupings improved scheduling and student placement. The academy now includes a curriculum-aligned program called BARR (Building Assets, Reducing Risks) to structure Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions and add scripted lessons intended to build relationships and social skills.

“We are also, through the BARR program, providing . . . lessons that allow the relationships to form, to build, and to further accentuate the positiveness of education,” Sandoval said.

Two students who spoke described how programs at Burnsville High affected them. Luis Daniel Reyes Lopez, an 11th grader and AVID student, said the EMR class is teaching infant CPR and coping mechanisms for anxiety; he also credited AVID for helping him prepare for tests and college visits. “They also prepare us for the ACT, and they took us over on Tuesday to the National College Fair,” Luis said.

Isaiah Tilbury, a sophomore and member of the first ninth-grade academy cohort, said the academy helped him form relationships with staff and classmates. “There was built-in time to socialize with your peers as well as . . . teams with the staff so that you stayed with similar people in the classes that you took,” Isaiah said.

Sandoval said the school will graduate a second cohort from its Associate of Arts program in May and described tutoring, credit recovery and expanded counseling supports aimed at identifying students who need extra help early. He said the district’s revised attendance and cellphone policies were implemented consistently across classrooms this fall; teachers have placed small pocket organizers in each classroom for students to store phones during class, which Sandoval said has reduced phone use and increased classroom conversation.

“In most of my classes I’ve noticed that most teachers do the poster thing with the pockets,” Luis said when asked during the presentation about the cellphone practice. Isaiah added, “most kids do put up their phones or at least don’t go on their phone anymore in class.”

Board members praised the school’s focus on relationships and relevance. Director Mickelson asked what changes the school made after its first year with the ninth-grade academy; Sandoval described the move from four to two teams to improve alignment and consistency. Director Ault asked about parent reaction to the cellphone policy; Sandoval said parents who have contacted him appreciate a consistent districtwide approach because it reduces pressure on students and staff.

Student representative Devin Tesfayo followed the principal’s report with a separate student update highlighting homecoming events, a green-apple campus clean-up with roughly 40 student volunteers, a fall blood drive, and college visits organized by the school’s college and career specialist. Tesfayo said last year’s student and staff donations led to more than 284 units of blood and credited the school with strong student engagement in extracurriculars.

The presentation closed with board members thanking students and staff and opening the agenda to other business.