Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Discipline topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board reviews district behavior intervention matrix as community urges implementation supports
Summary
District staff presented a draft behavior intervention and support discipline matrix intended to reduce suspensions and expand restorative and social‑emotional supports; community groups and teachers urged a concrete implementation timeline, staffing (paraprofessionals) and site‑level resources to make the matrix operational.
The San Francisco Unified School District presented a draft behavior intervention and support discipline matrix designed to provide tiered, restorative and evidence‑based responses to student behavior and reduce disproportional suspensions.
Associate Superintendent Kevin Truitt said the matrix — a chief deliverable of the district’s Safe and Supportive Schools resolution — contains three separate templates for defiance/disruption, property/harassment and intensive interventions, and lists suggested tiered responses for first, second and repeated referrals to emphasize alternatives to suspension. "This the behavior matrix is actually part of our safe and supportive schools resolution," Truitt told the board, explaining the goal is more consistent, supportive responses across sites.
Presenters emphasized the matrix is a "living document" developed with teachers, parents, unions and community groups; district staff reported tracking outreach and support visits (for example, dozens to hundreds of restorative‑practice contacts at site level this year) and provided a glossary and links to local program contacts in the handout. Morinique O'Neil, who led school‑level BAT work, and other staff said the document has been reduced from an initial 55‑page draft to an 18‑page guide for practical use.
Public testimony from teachers, parents and community organizations stressed implementation needs: paraprofessionals in classrooms, funded alternative learning spaces, family engagement and site‑specific staffing and training. Jordan Rangel, a Downtown High student, warned of the harm budget cuts can do: "Taking the paraprofessionals away from the classrooms ... would mean that we would lose the support system we need," he said.
Board members and union representatives asked for clear implementation timelines, budget alignment and measurable tracking to ensure schools — particularly high‑need sites — receive promised supports. Staff said additional materials, an implementation timeline and monitoring mechanisms would be provided in the coming weeks as part of the broader roll‑out of the safe and supportive schools work.
