Lubbock ISD says discipline incidents rose 28%; phones and vapes cited as main drivers
Summary
District behavior staff told trustees discipline incidents for the second nine weeks rose about 28% over last year, with high‑school violations of the technology policy and vape/drug incidents contributing; DAEP/PIA placements increased and staff described interventions and reentry supports.
Lubbock ISD behavior leaders told the board that discipline incidents during the second nine weeks rose about 28% districtwide compared with the prior year, and that high‑school technology‑policy violations (phones) accounted for the largest share of the increase. "For the second 9 weeks compared to last year, we're up 28%," the behavior lead reported, noting that roughly 1,100–1,200 of about 1,600 high‑school incidents were phone‑related.
Staff emphasized that 90% of students did not receive an office referral during the second nine weeks and that a small group of repeat offenders drives a disproportionate share of referrals. The board asked about escalation consequences; staff said escalating penalties can lead to students being banned from bringing phones to campus.
On alternative placements, district staff reported 210 students were placed at the priority intervention (PIA) program in the period, an increase of 39 placements; of those, 122 were mandatory placements and 88 were discretionary. The DAEP presenter said the district recorded 16 drug incidents and 224 e‑cigarette incidents (combined 240 drug/vape incidents) during the reporting period and that some students who used THC vapes are likely to return to PIA when they reoffend.
PIA leadership (Tyler Trout, with leads Jelala Lopez and Lori Wilkinson) were described as running walk‑throughs, placement reviews and community mentoring supports. Staff said the district is using ISS with after‑school drug‑intervention in some cases where PIA capacity or placement decisions make that preferable, and that PIA programs are emphasizing reentry and recidivism reduction.
Trustees and staff discussed campus‑level variability: many elementary campuses maintained strong tier‑1 behavior systems while middle schools required targeted coaching, in part because of staffing vacancies and less experienced teachers. Staff described rollout of a starter kit for late‑hire adjuncts and additional job‑embedded professional learning for middle‑school teachers.
Next steps: the district will continue three‑week reviews with middle schools, refine PIA capacity planning, track recidivism and expand targeted coaching and intervention resources.
