Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Behavior topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
LPS gives year‑one update on PAR behavior framework; suspension and disproportionality data presented
Summary
Lincoln Public Schools staff reported April 22 that 2,499 unique students had been suspended out of school year‑to‑date under the district’s reporting window as it implements the PAR (Prevention, Accountability and Restorative) behavior framework in year one.
Lincoln Public Schools staff told the board April 22 they are nine months into the first year of implementing the PAR (Prevention, Accountability and Restorative) behavior framework and provided early data and staff feedback on its effects and next steps.
The framework: The district described the PAR accountability matrix as a decision-support tool prefilled for administrators to increase consistency across roughly 70 buildings and programs. Carmen Pedroza, student services supervisor, said the matrix aligns responses to levels of behavior, clarifies responsibilities for students, teachers and administrators, and provides instructional, reflective and restorative activities (IRR activities) for teaching and reteaching expected behavior.
Year-one data and findings: The district reported 2,499 unique students out of school suspended year‑to‑date; suspensions counted range from a single period to up to five days. District staff presented risk-ratio analyses that show disproportionality persists: Black/African American students, students of two or more races, and American Indian/Alaska Native students had risk ratios at or above 1.7, meaning those groups were about 70% more likely to be suspended than the district average in the year‑to‑date data the district presented.
Why it matters: The district tied the PAR framework to measurable outcomes in its strategic plan (student well-being and outcomes) and said a consistent, districtwide approach is intended to support staff, reduce variability in decisions and focus resources on prevention and reentry supports.
Staff feedback and next steps: In an ongoing district survey of staff, the PAR team reported nearly 1,000 responses (the presenter noted the count was approaching 1,000 during the meeting) with about 79% of respondents agreeing that professional learning on PAR has provided support, 75% reporting improved consistency, 79% reporting clearer expectations, 75% reporting improved appropriate accountability and 69% reporting improved communication. The district said it will continue to refine materials, expand resources, leverage data systems (including the Synergy/Edupoint student information system) and pursue building-level training and supports into year two of implementation.
Board questions and concerns: Board members asked about parent and student engagement in year‑one feedback; staff said student perception surveys and student group meetings are being used and that the district has presented to parent advisory councils. Board members also pressed for disaggregated data for special education and low‑income students; staff said those breakdowns are tracked weekly and can be shared. Members stressed the importance of addressing root causes and of tracking multi-year trends; staff acknowledged it is a multi-year effort and that disproportionality is not expected to be solved in a single year.
Data caveats: District staff emphasized the presentation is early, year‑to‑date data with several weeks of school still remaining; they said year‑one findings will inform changes for year two and that the district will continue to monitor trends and adjust training and resources accordingly.
