Chester County approves districtwide registered behavior technician position after state flags discipline disparity

At its July meeting the Chester County Board of Education approved a new districtwide registered behavior technician position and a transfer of federal IDEA Part B funds to pay for interventions after a state review found the district “significantly disproportionate” in discipline for students with disabilities.

The position is intended to work with a contracted Board Certified Behavior Analyst, or BCBA, who will perform functional behavior assessments and develop individualized behavior intervention plans. The RBT will support teachers by training them to implement those plans and will help operate a newly created behavior-intervention class that the district will use in place of some in-school suspension (ISS) and out-of-school suspension (OSS) placements.

The district presented the hire as part of a broader plan required by the state to address discipline disparities. “That money will not only be used for students with disabilities, it goes for Gen Ed students too,” said Miss Parker, a district staff member who outlined the plan to the board. Parker described two software purchases the district will use: an age-appropriate video-based intervention program, named in the meeting as Ripple Effects, and a database to store strategies, interventions and long-term discipline data.

Parker told the board the BCBA will design the behavior intervention plan and the RBT will implement it in classrooms and in the district’s behavior-intervention setting. She said the RBT credential requires a 40-hour core training and testing to become certified. Board members asked whether the position would be ongoing; staff said the role is likely to continue year to year but that funding is tied to the current federal transfer and program outcomes.

Administrators also said the district will keep extensive data going forward to track incidents, which students are affected and which interventions are used. Parker said the district reviewed about three-and-a-half years of prior data and will maintain records as it measures whether the interventions reduce ISS, OSS or alternative placements.

The recommendation passed after a motion and second; all board members present voted in favor. The board also noted that the district has previously approved a BCBA position but staff have not filled that role, so the district will contract for BCBA services while recruitment continues.

Board members present at the vote were Shane Connor, Ben Couples, Brandy Cheer, Norris Frank and Kim Scott. The board’s motion to approve the new RBT position was made, seconded and approved by voice vote; no board member opposed.

The board did not specify a start date for hiring, or a precise annual salary in the meeting materials. Staff said the RBT’s salary will reflect the certification and duties, and that a separate BCBA contract had been received by staff the same day the packet was distributed.

The district framed the initiative as part of a shift from largely punitive discipline to interventions intended to reduce escalation of student behavior and to provide supports that apply to all students, not only those with disabilities. The board approved the recommendation as presented and directed staff to move forward with contracting and implementation steps.