Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Support Services topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Hoke County Schools presents plan for elementary behavior support teacher
Summary
District staff proposed a new K–5 behavior support teacher position after reviewing suspension and special-education disruption data and visits to peer districts; the proposal would create two classroom-style supports and rely on IEP team decisions and parental consent.
Keris, a Hoke County Schools staff member, told the Board of Education on Jan. 10 that the district is proposing a new elementary behavior support teacher position to serve K–5 students with significant behavior needs.
The position, Keris said, would create two classroom-style behavior-support rooms that could each serve up to about 10 students from more than one school. Keris described the role as a short-term, skills-focused intervention: “They were able to go into this classroom with the teacher, the certified behavior teacher with the assistance in the room and sort of wrap them around, and get them where they are able to get stabilized in their environment, and they still go back to general ed,” she said.
Keris said the district reviewed local data, including suspension rates and the number of students with disabilities who are being suspended, and convened teams to study options. She said Hoke staff visited programs in Cumberland, Moore and Scotland counties and sought input from elementary principals and parents. “These discussions started actually in 2023…about the need of more support in our elementary, to help our students, with behaviors,” Keris said.
Under the model described, a school team would review interventions already in place and, if concerns persist, the matter would go to the IEP team for a determination. Keris emphasized that placement would be an IEP-team decision and that parents must give consent. She also said compensation would follow the state teacher salary schedule.
The board did not take a formal vote on the proposal during the portion of the meeting in the provided transcript. The presentation was followed by brief questions from board members about outcomes in other districts and about how many existing behavior staff the district employs.
The proposal to add the elementary behavior support position follows a district vacancy report presented earlier in the meeting that showed the district had a substantial number of open positions across school and district levels as of Jan. 10, 2025. At the time of the presentation, district staff described this behavior-support post as a new position rather than a reclassification of an existing slot.
District staff indicated they would return with implementation details and next steps for the board to consider.
