Spring ISD reports sharp decline in disciplinary incidents; district cites training, PBIS and restorative practices

Spring Independent School District on March 4 presented a semester‑to‑date discipline report showing declines in referrals, suspensions and placements to the district alternative program, a trend officials attributed to new training, administrative oversight and classroom‑level behavior programs.

Assistant Superintendent of Student Success Dr. Efrain Olivo told trustees the district recorded 5,320 disciplinary infractions this year through February, down from 10,279 in the same period the previous school year — a decline leaders described as substantial. Reductions were reported at all levels: elementary infractions fell by 67%, middle school by 49% and high school by 41% in the year‑over‑year comparison presented to the board.

Context: The discipline update emphasized equity goals. The board was shown risk‑ratio style data by subgroup; Dr. Olivo said African American students accounted for 58.5% of infractions in the current count while Hispanic students accounted for 34.3%, and the district is tracking disproportionality measures used by the state. He noted that the district seeks to reduce African American male suspensions and special education suspension rates by 10% by 2027 and has already seen decreases year‑to‑date.

District actions and supports: Officials described multiple initiatives that staff and campus administrators say contributed to the reductions: revised student code of conduct workgroups, expanded C.A.R.E.S. classroom management training, PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports), restorative practices, counselor and group‑counseling supports focused on vaping and substance use, monthly campus behavior coordinator (CBC) meetings, de‑escalation training and classroom‑level posters and reminders.

Vaping and DAEP: Dr. Olivo said the district has sought a state waiver to reduce mandatory DAEP placements for certain non‑THC vaping incidents and implemented a second‑chance program in lieu of DAEP for qualifying non‑THC cases. He reported DAEP (Ritchie Academy) year‑to‑date enrollment of 286 students, down from 407 the previous comparable period (district staff noted a formatting discrepancy in packet tables that will be corrected in the official board report). Dr. Olivo said THC‑related devices still require DAEP placement.

Campus perspective: Four campus behavior coordinators and assistant principals — from Caney High School, Bailey Middle, Link Elementary and Westfield High School — described coordinated morning duty, consistent expectations, restorative practices, PBIS and intentional parent and student outreach as practical steps that changed hallway monitoring and classroom climates.

Questions from trustees: Board members asked about data disaggregation and reporting methodology, whether small subgroup counts are being masked for privacy (district staff said numbers below 10 are typically aggregated to avoid identification), and how Aries and other data systems affect reporting fidelity. Trustees asked for additional risk‑ratio style reporting and a fuller explanation of the state’s disproportionality threshold in a future board update.

Ending: Trustees complimented campus leaders on measurable improvements while requesting continued transparency in the underlying data and a follow‑up on how C.A.R.E.S. training will be extended to classroom teachers.