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North Penn outlines PBIS and SEAL strategy to prevent bullying; principals cite hotspots in unstructured times
Summary
District leaders described a tiered bullying‑prevention approach that pairs schoolwide PBIS with SEAL curricula (SecondStep/SchoolConnect), targeted data monitoring in Infinite Campus, and a peer‑mentorship program; principals said incidents most commonly occur during unstructured periods (recess, cafeteria, buses, hallways).
Dr. Christy Johnson and Morgana Oldbrook told the ECI committee the district’s bullying‑prevention strategy is a multi‑tier model that combines schoolwide PBIS practices with explicit social‑emotional learning (SEAL) curricula and targeted early interventions.
"Bullying is what we are referring to as a repeated behavior…that involves intentional harm and a power imbalance," Dr. Johnson said, and she emphasized that prevention must be proactive rather than reactive. The elementary SEAL program (SecondStep) focuses on recognizing, reporting and refusing bullying; the secondary program (SchoolConnect) builds those skills for older students.
Morgana Oldbrook, PBIS building coach at Penddale Middle School, described PBIS as a framework that clarifies expectations, rewards positive behavior and uses data from Infinite Campus to identify hotspots. "PBIS also addresses bullying through their use of data," Oldbrook said, noting referrals allow teams to target interventions by time, location and grade level.
Administrators and principals reported that most incidents occur during unstructured times — recess, cafeteria, bus rides and hallway transitions — and outlined responsive measures such as adjusted supervision, targeted 'booster' lessons, assemblies and incentive campaigns (for example, bus‑based incentives). District staff said they are working to streamline behavior‑referral entry in Infinite Campus and to align referral codes and conduct language to PBIS definitions.
The presenters also described a peer‑connections mentorship program that pairs high‑school mentors with younger students to build relationships and strengthen protective factors against bullying. Dr. Johnson said the district has not seen a sustained increase in bullying incident rates in the data, and that prompt intervention when trends rise is a priority.
