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Great Bend RISE pilot aims to reduce suspensions and return students to classrooms
Summary
Great Bend USD 428 presented RISE, a restorative, tiered behavioral intervention operating as an alternative to out‑of‑school suspension; KSDE and board members praised early results and urged attention to staffing, parent engagement and scaling.
A pilot program called RISE (Relationships, Instruction, Safety, Emotional wellbeing) was presented to the Kansas State Board on Jan. 13 as an alternative to out‑of‑school suspension that blends academic instruction, restorative practice and tiered behavioral supports.
Kelsey (Park Elementary principal) and Carmen Zeissler (ASDAC director) described the program's levels (0–4), curriculum elements (Blooming Brains; regulation and restorative circles), eligibility and family engagement protocols, transportation arrangements, staffing model (classroom teacher, SEL teacher, TAs), and a four‑week placement cycle with reintegration circles. They reported that 13 students had completed the RISE program to date, with seven showing no repeat behaviors after return to full classroom placement; some students required repeat intervention or were expelled in severe incidents.
Presenters emphasized that RISE preserved academic time, included family coaching, and relied on strong buy‑in from home‑school teachers. Board members praised the model as both a student‑support and teacher‑retention strategy and asked detailed logistics questions about staffing, eligibility screening, confidentiality and outcomes measurement. KSDE commissioner Randy Watson and several board members signaled support for sharing lessons from the pilot and exploring replication across districts.
