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Avon Grove updates PBIS and Communities In Schools partnerships as public commenter urges stronger response to hate speech
Summary
Administrators reported districtwide PBIS implementation, expansion of the Communities In Schools partnership to AGIS and the high school, and use of Navigate360 threat- and risk-assessment tools; a public commenter told the board PBIS incentives do not address hate speech and asked for stronger anti-bullying and Title IX responses.
District staff briefed the board on the Connected, Accepted and Valued (CAV) action team—6s work, including consistent implementation of Navigate360 threat and risk tracking, universal Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in all four schools and a Communities In Schools partnership at Avon Grove Intermediate School and Avon Grove High School.
Dr. Evans (Connected, Accepted and Valued action team) said Navigate360 has been adopted as a centralized platform to record threat assessments and risk-to-self assessments and to provide training. The district is collecting building-level feedback through threat-assessment teams and working with Christy Simpkins on follow-up and training.
Evans also reported the elementary schools have completed two full years of PBIS and secondary schools are finishing their first full year. Districtwide MTSS meetings and school-specific practices such as reward stores and reinforcement carts at secondary schools were cited as positive indicators. The district has also placed Communities In Schools coordinators at AGIS and the high school under a multi-year grant; staff explained funding constrained the initial rollout and they prioritized the largest buildings where the grant could produce the most reach.
During public comment, a resident who identified herself at the lectern said PBIS points, raffles and small rewards were "cute" but did not address repeated incidents of hate speech and an unresolved Title IX matter involving her child. She asked what the district is doing beyond incentives to prevent and respond to hate speech; she described an instance in which administrators responded to a Safe to Say Something tip and a security guard met her child but said the family needs systemic changes to reduce hateful incidents.
Board members and administrators responded in the discussion, noting PBIS focuses on universal, tier-1 supports while the district is developing aligned anti-bullying strategies and reviewing its code of conduct (last updated in 2015). Administrators said PBIS and code-of-conduct revisions will be aligned with MTSS behavior tiers. They also noted that Safe to Say Something is one tool for reporting; staff said they will continue to examine reporting options and supports for students with individualized needs.
Administrators asked the public commenter to meet with staff to review case specifics; no formal action was taken at the work session. The district said it will present additional data on PBIS outcomes, Safe to Say Something use and anti-bullying alignment as part of ongoing action-team reporting.
