Progressive Interventions and Consequences—Effective interventions and consequences refrain from interrupting a student’s education to the greatest extent possible. The goal is to change, not simply manage, behavior. Every reasonable effort should be made to correct inappropriate student behavior using logical consequences and restorative responses, examined through a mental health and trauma lens. Inappropriate behavior may be symptomatic of underlying problems that students are experiencing, like trauma, academic challenges, or a student’s disability. It is critical that all staff be sensitive to issues that may influence student behavior and respond in ways that are most supportive of student needs. This may require the involvement of school counselors, outside support agencies, mental health practitioners, psychologists, or members of the ARC.
The interventions and consequences described here should be carefully matched to the needs of the student and the overall context of the situation. Significant consequences, such as out-of-school suspensions, are used for the most serious situations. When an exclusionary consequence is used (e.g., in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension), it should be paired with one or more interventions (e.g., referral to staff, parent conference, mediation). Consequences that are paired with meaningful and developmentally appropriate instruction and guidance offer students the space to make mistakes, learn from them, and receive support to change their behavior over time. When a specific student behavior does not change using the lowest identified level of intervention and/or consequence—or the behavior increases in frequency, intensity, or duration—the next level of intervention and consequence is used. The progressive approach to intervention and consequences can apply to some Level 4 incidents. However, the safety of students and staff will always be an important consideration.
Additionally, as in any school-related setting, incidents occurring on the bus that compromise the safety of students and staff may result in a faster progression of consequences. For a student with a disability, the ARC or 504 Committee must convene and determine if the behavior was a manifestation of the child’s disability and follow JCPS ECE and 504 procedures. Refer to 707 KAR 1:340. Section15. Manifestation Determination. (https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/707/001/340.pdf). For information regarding students with disabilities under Section 504, please refer to the JCPS Section 504 webpage (https://www.jefferson.kyschools.us/page/section-504).
If a Level 1 or Level 2 corrective strategy is used to address the same behavior more than three times, an administrator may use their professional judgment and move to a Level 3 consequence, resulting in a possible short-term suspension of one to three days. The parent/guardian should be made aware of the repeated behaviors and partner with the school on a plan to successfully address the behavior and transition back into the school setting.
In alignment with progressive consequences, administrators are provided a graduated list of resolutions that can be used to support student inappropriate behavior. In JCPS, these consequences are tiered to reflect a range of possible consequences reflective of the range of identified behaviors in our schools. For our K–12 students, consequences begin at a Level 1 and end at a Level 4.
Due to age appropriateness, Early Childhood Level consequences begin at a Level 1 and end at a Level 3. Consequences increase in seriousness as administrators progress from Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and/or Level 4. Both Early Childhood and K–12 interventions and consequences are outlined below.
The ARC may convene to review the IEP for students with disabilities to address behaviors with behavior supports. The discipline of students with disabilities is subject to the requirements of state and federal law in addition to the SSBIH. To the extent any conflict exists, state and federal law will prevail.