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District reports mixed discipline trends as middle-school interventionists are deployed
Summary
Superintendent presented first-quarter KPIs for middle-school behavior interventionists showing increased referrals and suspensions at some schools while expulsions decreased; administration said changes in referral practices and added assistant principals may explain part of the rise and committed to continued monitoring.
Superintendent Dr. Price and staff gave a data-driven update Tuesday on new intervention positions aimed at improving middle-school outcomes, but the early numbers show mixed results.
Price told trustees that new middle-school behavior interventionists serve specific schools (White Knoll Middle and Carolina Springs Middle). At White Knoll Middle, total referrals rose from 357 to 629 year over year; that total included 138 new referrals coded for tardies, which, when excluded, reduced the increase to 357→491. In-school suspensions at White Knoll rose from 75 to 107 and out-of-school suspensions from 73 to 90; expulsions declined from 23 to 9. At Carolina Springs Middle, referrals decreased (314→230) while in‑school suspensions rose (30→74) and expulsions fell (14→4).
Price and board members said some of the increase reflects changes in practice (for example, turning in referrals for tardies that weren't previously documented) and staffing changes (additional assistant principals are now more present and catch incidents that previously went unreported). Price said the interventionists work by referral and focus on students who are frequent referrals to administration, partnering with teachers and administrators on strategies to reduce repeat incidents.
Administration also reported baseline counts of behavioral threat assessments this quarter—9 events at Carolina Springs and 7 at White Knoll Middle this quarter (compared with 0 and 3 respectively at the same point last year)—and said the district will continue monitoring whether intervention strategies lower referrals and suspensions over time.
Board members pressed for clarity on caseloads and success metrics. Price described 'success' as both a reduction in suspensions and a reduction in the number of referrals; the district also tracks the percent of students served in MTSS meetings who meet intervention goals (Carolina Springs: 20%; White Knoll: 22% through the first nine weeks). The board asked for ongoing updates and follow-up as the positions mature.
The district framed the update as an early baseline; officials cautioned it is too soon to draw firm conclusions and committed to continuing to watch the data and adjust implementation.
