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Dorchester School District 2 approves elementary alternative program to serve students with severe behavioral needs
Summary
Trustees voted unanimously to create an elementary alternative program for K–5 students with intensive behavioral needs. The program will be staffed with a dedicated administrator, teachers and support staff, launch planning begins in May, and the district will measure success by student behavior benchmarks and reintegration readiness.
The Dorchester School District 2 Board of Trustees voted unanimously April 27 to approve the creation of an elementary alternative program to serve kindergarten-through-fifth-grade students with severe or repeated behavioral incidents.
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Miss Barker told trustees the program targets students who need tier-3 behavioral supports and noted the district currently has "over 100 students that have 10 or more referrals," a level the presentation described as needing intensive intervention. The board approved the program after a motion by Miss Bates, seconded by Mister Farnsworth, with the vote recorded as 7 in favor.
Why it matters: Board presenters framed the program as a targeted, short-term intervention intended to reduce classroom disruption and improve outcomes for the students who need intensive supports. Miss Barker cited research estimating that behavior incidents can cost an elementary classroom roughly 6½ minutes of instructional time per hour—adding up to 10–20 hours of lost instruction over a year—and said the district wants to intervene earlier to prevent escalation.
What the program will include: The district proposed staffing the school with one administrator, three teachers, three teaching assistants, one school counselor, and access to a registered behavior technician; social-work services will be provided from district resources. The program would group students by grade band (K–1, 2–3, 4–5) with flexibility to adjust class sizes as needs dictate. Miss Barker said the district plans to post openings and begin hiring in May and aims to launch in August if all steps proceed as planned.
Measurement and transitions: Success metrics will be individualized and tied to each student’s behavior checklist, observations by teachers, RBTs and counselors, and transition-readiness benchmarks agreed with the student’s home school. Miss Barker said students will move back to their base school once they meet their individualized goals and the district and receiving school agree on the transition plan.
Budget and funding: Superintendent Doherty told the board the program is in the current budget and “does not require any more mills” at this time. Trustee Mister Lee asked whether the board’s approval was conditional on final budget approval; Doherty said the program is funded in the proposed budget package.
Board reaction and next steps: Trustees voiced broad support for the program as a needed behavioral intervention. Trustee Mister Farnsworth and others praised the inclusion of family work and partner mental-health services; board members requested follow-up data on outcomes after the first semester of operation. The district will begin hiring and finalize curriculum and professional development over the summer ahead of the planned August start.
