District rolls out Safe and Civil Schools training; 395 certified staff trained this year

The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District is expanding classroom-management training under the Safe and Civil Schools framework, administration told the board on Tuesday.

Assistant Superintendent Sarah Gillum described the district's renewed adoption of CHAMPS and a STOIC‑aligned approach (Structure, Teach, Observe, Interact, Correct) to empower educators and standardize language across classrooms. "Behavior is a problem to be solved and not a threat to be removed," she said, describing the district's focus on proactive, data‑driven strategies and a multi‑tiered system of supports.

Gillum reported that, over five days of presentations and follow-up sessions, the district trained approximately 395 certified staff in classroom management strategies and delivered about 250 paraprofessional training seats on supporting supervision and small‑group work. Schools implemented visible classroom cues such as ACHIEVE/CHAMPS posters and attention signals; administrators described use of goal-setting and motivation tools drawn from the texts.

The district plans fall follow-up training for elementary certified staff, additional coaching supports, and a district-level data collection effort focused on engagement and compliance with expectations (opportunities to respond, percent correct academic responses) to measure implementation and tailor future professional development.

Administration said training is aligned with the district strategic plan (pillars 1 and 4) and will be revisited annually. Board members praised early school-level signs of calmer transitions and more consistent expectations during class changes and recommended ongoing monitoring of classroom implementation and student outcomes.