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Discipline referrals and suspensions fall sharply at Seaside Middle, administrators say
Summary
School leaders reported a 70% decrease in discipline referrals and a 64% drop in suspensions compared with prior years, crediting restorative practices, phone restrictions and daily homeroom routines.
Seaside Middle School administrators told the board the school has seen large declines in discipline referrals and suspensions over the same four‑month period across recent years.
"So we have a 70% decrease in discipline violations when we compare the same timeframe for the last 2 years back," Carlina Gage, assistant principal, told the board. The presentation showed declines across minor and major referrals and reported that suspensions were down by 64% in the comparable window, with in‑school and out‑of‑school suspensions reduced to 21 (during the frame shown).
Staff attributed the reductions to a set of practices including restorative questioning and conversations, daily homeroom check‑ins, consistent SEL lessons from the Wayfinder curriculum and a restriction on cell phones. Board members asked whether policy changes drove the numbers; administrators said no single policy change explained the trend and credited programmatic work and adult‑student relationships.
The board commended staff and discussed sustaining gains as budget choices are reviewed.
