Carson City School District board adopts restorative-discipline plan required by state law

The Carson City School District Board of Trustees voted to adopt the district's restorative-discipline plan for the 2024-25 school year, a policy update trustees said aligns the district with state law and expands restorative supports for students.

Board President Cacioppo called the motion after Trustee Varner moved to adopt the plan and Trustee Crossman seconded; the chair announced the motion carried by voice vote. The motion cited NRS 392.4644 as the statutory basis for the annual review and adoption.

The plan, presented to the board by Christy Perkins, consolidates formatting and guidance for administrators (the 'x's and 'o's matrix), clarifies distinctions between sales and possession/distribution of substances, and adds a separate category for race-based discrimination under the bullying umbrella. Perkins told trustees the document is a guide to help administrators make consistent professional judgments rather than an inflexible checklist.

Perkins also described a substantive procedural change: when a student is suspended for three or more days, the district must provide a restorative reentry plan developed by a team that includes the family and relevant staff, and the district must provide instruction during the suspension so the student does not fall behind.

'This restorative plan and the big shift''' is more a plan of support,' Perkins said, explaining the emphasis on wraparound services (counselors, social workers and coaches) and on replacing punitive 'contracts' with supports to increase pro-social behavior.

Trustees asked how much time administrators will spend writing individualized plans; Perkins said plans can take 30'60 minutes or more depending on the situation but that the district is creating fillable templates and a bank of reused plan elements to reduce workload. She also described the District Intervention Assistance Team (DIAP) process that can assist administrators with plan writing and implementation.

Perkins described a mechanism for identifying habitual problems: five suspensions of three or more days is a threshold that triggers behavior hearings and review of placement options, but a plan is required already on the first three-day suspension to guide reentry and supports.

The adoption resolves an action item the board labeled as required by state statute. The board did not record a roll-call tally on the audio transcript; the chair announced the motion carried at the meeting.