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Lincoln Elementary describes 'Warrior Way' PBIS program as suspensions and referrals fall
Summary
Lincoln Elementary teachers and administrators briefed the Gettysburg Area SD board on the schoolwide 'Warrior Way' positive-behavior program, saying referrals and suspensions have fallen sharply since 2018–19 and that fundraising and community donations support rewards and materials.
Gettysburg — Lincoln Elementary Principal Matt McFarland and three staff members presented the school’s "Warrior Way," a schoolwide positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) program, to the Gettysburg Area School District Board.
The presentation described the program’s goal: to teach and reinforce expected behaviors across school settings so students feel safe and engaged. "The Warrior Way is a school wide PBIS program," Matt McFarland said, explaining the program’s pillars: be here, be involved, be committed and be kind. He and staff said the program emphasizes modeling expectations, teaching them explicitly, and recognizing students who demonstrate them.
Staffers said the school formed a Warrior Way committee (nine-member committee; four members present at the board meeting) that meets biweekly and coordinates activities including classroom matrices, school rotations to teach expectations and a ticket-based reward system. Students earn tickets throughout the year; the committee sets a goal of 1,000 tickets (about a monthly reward) and displays progress publicly. "We're getting over 10,000 tickets," McFarland said.
McFarland and staff provided the program’s outcome figures: in the 2018–19 school year the school recorded about 203 behavioral referrals and approximately 81 suspensions; in the most recent year presented referrals fell to 36 and suspensions to seven. Presenters said the reductions mean more instructional time, fewer classroom interruptions and a better school climate. "That tells me this is working," McFarland said.
The presentation also described fundraising that supports rewards and program materials. Staff cited local donations and fundraising via GiveButter and a local grant from Walmart; they thanked Todd Ortner and parents for support. Typical rewards described included pie-in-the-face events, an indoor camping day, "Minute to Win It" stations, glow dances (DJ provided by a community member) and class-vs-class soccer games. Presenters said all students participate in the schoolwide celebrations.
Ending: The board thanked McFarland and Lincoln staff for the presentation. Staff said they plan to share videos of student activities at a future meeting when time allows.
Provenance: Presentation and data on referrals and suspensions were delivered during the Lincoln Elementary presentation portion of the meeting.
