Superintendent: Out-of-school suspensions down; vaping and restorative practices remain focal points

The Ballston Spa Central School District superintendent presented a three-year breakdown of student-discipline outcomes and said out-of-school suspensions and superintendent hearings have declined while vaping remains a persistent problem.

The superintendent told the Board of Education the district uses progressive discipline unless an offense is egregious, and emphasized accurate documentation through the district's electronic referral system. “Progressive discipline is our practice, you know, unless the offense is egregious,” the superintendent said.

The presentation, based on data compiled by Chief Information Officer Margaret Giller, focused on final dispositions — how individual disciplinary incidents were closed — rather than raw referral counts, which the superintendent warned can be skewed by changes in reporting.

The superintendent summarized K–12 trends showing out-of-school suspensions dropped from 403 (earlier year) to 335 and then to 207 in the most recent year. Superintendent's hearings fell from 25 to 21 to 17 over the same three-year span. At the high school level, the superintendent said in-school suspensions increased in some years as staff try to address lower-level offenses internally, and that high-school violent offenses were cut “by 50% year over year” according to internal summaries.

Vaping drew repeated attention. The superintendent said the district assigns out-of-school suspensions for vaping — three days for nicotine vapes and five days for THC vapes — and noted 78 vaping incidents in the most recent data, 34 of which were THC-related. “We’re staying strong on vaping because it’s dangerous, especially with the liquid THC,” the superintendent said. The superintendent added that repeated vaping offenses can be referred to a superintendent’s hearing.

School staff described prevention steps the district has taken: bathroom sweeps, detectors intended as a deterrent, and consideration of single-stall bathroom designs in future projects. The superintendent acknowledged limitations: detectors trigger in real time, but administrators often arrive after students disperse and there are no cameras in bathrooms.

The district has expanded supports tied to substance-use responses. The superintendent said the high school now houses a certified peer recovery advocate provided through a partnership with the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office; students who self-identify or are referred can meet with the advocate. “Students who are struggling with addiction go and meet with that peer recovery advocate,” the superintendent said.

School leaders described an emphasis on restorative practices and de-escalation training. Building administrators completed a three-day training on restorative circles and conferences delivered by Mediation Matters, and the district is rolling out additional de-escalation training for paraprofessionals and other staff. The superintendent said restorative practices are used in addition to — not instead of — disciplinary consequences.

Board members asked about family notification thresholds and a forthcoming cell-phone policy. The superintendent said parents are notified for in-school and out-of-school suspensions and that informal thresholds (for example, five referrals or repeated tardiness) prompt outreach. A new student-use-of-personal-technology policy was before the board for approval, and the superintendent said the district will add a specific disposition category in the reporting system for cell-phone violations once the policy is finalized.

The superintendent closed the presentation by reiterating the district's focus on documentation, early intervention and parent partnership to reduce repeat incidents.

The presentation drew several technical clarifications requested by board members about detectors, toilet-flush disposal of vapes, and how documentation is used by CSE teams when considering IEP or program changes. The superintendent said documentation collected in the referral system is used by committees on special education when evaluating individual student needs.

Questions from board members followed the presentation; the superintendent invited additional follow-up and said the district would include restorative-practice updates in an upcoming DEIB report.