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Suffield reports attendance gains and discloses targeted increases in disciplinary incidents; district updates gifted-identification process
Summary
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Laura Norbut reported districtwide improvements in attendance and a decline in chronic absenteeism for 2025-26, while also noting increases in disciplinary incidents concentrated at two schools; the district updated its gifted-identification process to a multi-measure approach and identified 24 students.
At the July 13 meeting, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Laura Norbut reviewed student attendance and discipline data for the 2025-26 school year. She said the district saw improvements in attendance and a reduction in chronic absenteeism across all schools when comparing Edsight data from 2022 to 2025, with the most pronounced gains at Suffield High School. The district continues to use a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), a Family Liaison, and positive incentives to encourage regular attendance.
Norbut also presented student-discipline data showing a concerning increase in incident counts at A. Ward Spaulding School and McAlister Intermediate School, relative stability at the middle school, and a slight increase at Suffield High School. She reported that fewer than 1% of students accounted for 49 incidents and that about 20% of incidents involved students who enrolled after March 2025. Most incidents occurred in unstructured settings such as hallways, playgrounds, cafeterias and buses. The district said in-school suspensions rose at the elementary level as part of a consistent disciplinary response and that bus suspensions remained low.
To address behavioral needs, the district is expanding supports: implementing Fly Five at the elementary level, expanding the RULER social-emotional learning framework at the secondary level after staff training, extending the Effective School Solutions (ESS) program from McAlister to Suffield Middle School to boost in-district mental-health services, and continuing collaboration with the Connect IV behavioral-health initiative.
Norbut also described a change in how the district identifies gifted students. Rather than relying solely on the third-grade OLSAT, Suffield now uses a multi-measure process that includes the OLSAT, SBAC scores, universal screening, and PSAT/SAT data; using that process, the district identified 24 gifted students as of June 2026 and plans to notify families in the fall.
Board members asked how long SEL programs have been in place and requested discipline breakdowns by tier; administration said it would provide additional details.
