District staff outline Alternative Work Center to support behavior, attendance and after-school academic needs

At the Bandon SD 54 board meeting, a district presenter explained the Alternative Work Center (AWC), a short-term, flexible space for students needing behavioral support, anonymous reporting and restorative conversations. The AWC, previously called the Reset Station, is staffed to provide adult support, coordinate private counseling and implement accommodations under IEPs and 504 plans.

The presenter (identified in the transcript as S2) said the AWC is used for behavioral interventions including temporary removal from a classroom, lunch detentions and an athletic study-hall program for student-athletes who need to make up work. S2 told the board the district logged 899 "process referrals" through the AWC last year; those referrals include teacher or classified staff reports that led to consultation, lunch detention or temporary removal.

S2 described the district's data-driven thresholds for follow-up: staff review referrals by student and by location to target interventions, and the district considers conversations with parents when a student has three or more tardies in the same period or four tardies in a week. Attendance percentages cited in the presentation were: fifth grade 91.2%, sixth 88.49%, seventh 90.41% and eighth 87.53%; S2 noted some grades fall just under the Oregon Department of Education goal that no student miss more than 10% of school days.

Board members asked how the AWC differentiates needs (for example, emotional regulation vs. a student quietly testing), and S2 said the space functions as a triage hub with additional rooms in the building to accommodate competing needs. S2 also explained communications: minor behavior referrals trigger an email to families and major behaviors prompt phone calls; incident records are entered into TylerSys for the district's tracking.

The board discussed vaping and substance incidents. S2 said five process referrals this year involved four students, all for nicotine so far, and credited vape sensors and camera alerts with reducing in-building use. Board members and staff noted the limits of detection and that students sometimes conceal use; S2 said the district focuses on restorative conversations, parent contacts and, when appropriate, referrals to community treatment resources with parental consent.

S2 also described after-school academic supports: athletic study hall runs until practices begin and is required under the athletic code of conduct for school-sponsored sports when a student's grade falls to a D or F; staff and the librarian provide help but some make-up assessments must be completed with the classroom teacher.

The presentation concluded with a description of how referral patterns (by staff or location) can prompt targeted coaching, training or reassignment of support staff to reduce repeat incidents. The board thanked staff for their work; no formal policy changes were proposed at the meeting.