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Board hears first annual school climate report: 46 incidents rose to tiered response, 44 DCF reports
Summary
Catherine Kennedy presented the district’s first annual school climate report under updated state law, reporting 46 tiered‑response incidents districtwide and 44 separate DCF reports; board members sought and received clarification about definitions and counting methods.
Catherine Kennedy, the districtwide safe school climate coordinator, presented the Guilford School District’s first annual report under updated state school‑climate legislation at the July 13 board meeting.
Kennedy said the statute defines three categories of challenging behaviors that trigger tiered interventions. She reported that districtwide there were 46 total incidents that rose to a tiered response this past school year: one incident that required temporary classroom clearing, 45 incidents involving a credible intention to cause bodily harm, and zero incidents that required outside medical attention. “So the total number of challenging behaviors that rose to the level of a tiered response this year, is 46,” Kennedy said.
Board members questioned whether the classroom‑clearing figure (one) undercounts events they remember. Kennedy and other staff clarified that the statute’s first category is narrowly defined and that many classroom removals in practice are done to protect a student’s privacy or dignity rather than because other students were at risk of bodily harm. The staff emphasized that the numbers reported are incident counts, not unique students: “It’s number of incidents,” Kennedy said, acknowledging a single student could appear in more than one incident.
Kennedy also explained that the packet included other measures (not part of the statutory tiered total) that affect students, including 44 reports made to the Department of Children and Families (DCF) by school personnel. She noted mandated‑reporting requirements and said those reports do not necessarily mean DCF substantiated a case; staff often report when information raises any concern.
The presentation stressed restorative approaches and the district’s coordination with principals, parents and clinicians to address behavior systemically. Staff said this reporting will be annual going forward and will inform prevention and intervention efforts.
The board asked follow‑up questions about classification edges, out‑of‑school communications that may prompt reports, and how restorative practices are deployed; staff responded with examples and offered to continue clarifying definitions in future reports.
