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York County reports decline in office-managed discipline; staff outline interventions including Check and Connect
Summary
Division staff told the board that 89% of students had no office-managed referrals through the third marking period, out-of-school suspensions declined compared with prior years, and the district will expand tiered supports, summer MTSS training and a Check and Connect attendance/engagement pilot at high schools.
York County School Division staff presented student-behavior data through the third marking period and described a set of next steps and interventions to sustain positive trends.
Dr. Aaron Butler said 89% of students had not required an office-managed disciplinary referral, about 6.9% received school-handled infractions, and roughly 3.5% received out-of-school suspensions for offenses that statute requires. He reported a downward trend in school-managed referrals and out-of-school suspensions compared with previous years.
Board members asked whether the decline in referrals was placing more burden on classroom teachers. Butler said classroom management is a core teacher skill but administrators remain responsible for building safety and staff aim to balance teacher ownership and administrative support. He offered to provide examples of school flowcharts showing escalation steps and said staff are reviewing those charts across schools to improve consistency.
For the fourth quarter and FY27, staff outlined actions: division coaches and building-based student-connection coaches supported by VTSS; schoolwide assemblies and classroom refreshers; a summer MTSS seminar for staff; launching Check and Connect at all four high schools (an evidence-based attendance intervention recognized by the U.S. Department of Education); and kindergarten-task-force recommendations including a summer bridge pilot and teacher training to address early childhood behavior.
Butler emphasized data-driven, multi-tiered approaches: "It starts with... teachers in the classroom and tier 1 level expectations," and added that a combination of consistent classroom management, quality instruction and family connections underpins the positive trend.
Staff said they would continue to share tiered data and provide examples of flowcharts and interventions to the board.
