Policy 4373
Expected Behaviors in Safe
and Supportive Schools
Preventing School Violence
Presented by
Justin Boggs
April 16 and 18, 2013
Policy 4373 Revisions
Student Code of Conduct
Expected Behavior in Safe and
Supportive Schools
Combines:
2418 – Alternative Education
2421 – Harassment
2422.5 – Substance Abuse
4372 – Student Rights and Responsibilities
4373 – Student Code of Conduct
The Big Picture
VISION
Proactive
Approach
PREVENTION
Explicit
Curriculum
INTERVENTION
Implicit
Learning
• Dispositions
• Social and emotional learning: explicit
curriculum
• Safe, supportive environments: implicit
learning
• Collective responsibility of all
• Social and emotional learning
• Core areas
• Context for learning
• Standards and objectives
• Essential components
• Inappropriate behaviors
• Interventions and consequences
Table of Contents
Ch. 1
Ch. 2
Ch. 3
Ch. 4
Expected Student Dispositions
Student Rights and Responsibilities
Planning for Policy Implementation
Inappropriate Behaviors and Meaningful
Interventions and Consequences
Ch. 5 Procedures for Addressing Allegations of
Inappropriate Behaviors
Ch. 6 Procedures for Taking Action on
Substantiated Inappropriate Behaviors
Chapter 1
Expected Student Dispositions
Sec. 1 – Rationale for Developing Dispositions
Sec. 2 – School and Community Social
Skills Standards
• Self-awareness and Self-management
• Social-awareness and Interpersonal
Skills
• Decision-making Skills and Responsible
Behaviors
What are dispositions?
“the values,
 commitments
 and ethics
- that  influence one’s behaviors toward others,
and
 affect learning, motivation and
development.”
(Ch. 1, Sec. 1)
Dispositions reflect Values
such as…
 Caring
 Fairness
 Honesty
 Responsibility
 Social Justice
(Ch. 1, Sec. 1)
Socially Competent Students are
Skilled in Three Core Areas:
Self-awareness and
Self-management
+
Social-awareness and
Interpersonal Skills
+
Decision-making Skills and
Responsible Behaviors
(Ch. 1, Sec. 2)
Standards
and
Objectives:
2nd –
th
4
Grades
Standard 1:
Self-awareness and Self-management
This standard promotes the development
of self- esteem and the identification of
emotions leading to student self-efficacy to
express themselves in constructive ways.
These skills enable students to
> control impulses
> manage stress and
> motivate themselves
to establish, monitor and achieve
academic and personal goals.
(Ch. 1, Sec. 2)
Grades 2-4
Objectives
2-4.1.01
2-4.1.02
2-4.1.03
2-4.1.04
2-4.1.05
Self-awareness and Self-management
Students will:
Describe a range of emotions and the situations that cause them.
Describe and demonstrate ways to express emotions in a socially acceptable manner.
Describe personal skills and interests that one wants to develop.
Describe the steps in setting and working toward goal achievement.
Describe and demonstrate ways that healthy habits contribute to goal achievement.
Example Behaviors that document mastery of Self-awareness and Self-management
Individual Behavior:
• Complete work on time
• Internalize class routines
• Maintain good grooming
• Maintain healthy habits
• Avoid inappropriate
physical contact
• Express enthusiasm for
school
• Express confidence and
positive self-esteem
• Ignore distractions
• Practice basic internet
safety
Initiative Interaction:
• Make relevant remarks during
classroom discussion
• Express emotions in nonviolent ways
• Choose activities that express
one’s interest and strengths
• Ask peers for help
• Make invitations
Responsive Interaction:
• Listen when others speak
• Participate in group activities
• Help peers when asked
• Accept ideas different from one’s
own
• Interact appropriately with adults
• Express sympathy
• Follow verbal and written
directions
Standard 2:
Social-awareness and Interpersonal Skills
Social-awareness involves recognition of the
thoughts, feelings and perspectives of others,
including those that are different from one’s own.
Interpersonal skills involve
• cooperating
• communicating respectfully and
• constructively resolving conflicts …
Both are essential for building and maintaining
positive relationships that are essential to success in
school and life.
(Ch. 1, Sec. 2)
Standard 3:
Decision-making Skills and
Responsible Behaviors
Decision-making requires an ability to accurately assess
a variety of situations, define and evaluate choices,
anticipate consequences of each, generate alternative
choices and select a responsible choice.
Responsible behaviors are those that
• promote safety
• avoid risk
• deal honestly and fairly with others
• contribute in a positive way to one’s
classroom, school, family and community
(Ch. 1, Sec. 2)
How are the Social and Emotional
Learning Standards to be used?
“The social and emotional learning standards
are not expected to be documented in individual
teacher lesson plans but rather should serve as a
framework for school-wide student behavior
expectations as determined by each school
faculty.”
(Ch. 1, Sec. 2)
Social and Emotional Learning
is addressed through WV Board of
Education policies such as:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
2315 - Guidance and Counseling
2520.4 - Social Studies
2520.55 - Wellness PreK-4
2520.5 - Health Education 5-12
2520.6 - Physical Education 5-12
2520.14 - Learning Skills and Technology Tools
2520.15 - Early Learning Standards Framework: Content
Standards and Learning Criteria for West Virginia PreKindergarten (WV Pre-k)
• 2520.19 - Advisor/Advisee 5-12
Sample of Crosswalk
Health
Education
(5-12)
2520.5
Grade 7
Objectives
Social Studies
2520.4
Guidance and
Counseling
2315
Advisor/Advise
e (5-12)
2520.19
Learning Skills
and
Technology
Tools
2520.14
Standard 1: Self-awareness and self-management
Students will:

7.1.02
Apply
strategies to
manage stress
and to
motivate
successful
performance.
Physical
Education (512)
2520.6
HE.7.7.04 
identify
strategies
to reduce
stress,
anxiety
and
depression.
PE.7.3.03
participate
in physical
activities
both in and
outside of
school
(e.g.,
physical
education
class,
intramural
s,
recreation
leagues).
7.1.3.
a. Students will
demonstrate the
ability to
balance school,
studies,
extra-curricular
activities, leisure
time and family
life.
7.1.2
a. Students will
demonstrate the
motivation to
achieve
individual
potential.
21C.O.58.3.LS.5
Student exhibits
interpersonal
and problemsolving skills
when in the role
of leader. He/she
helps others stay
focused on the
goal, monitors
progress of the
group, and
successfully
moves the group
toward the goal.
In what context must this
learning take place?
“Competence in the use of these skills is promoted in
the context of safe and supportive school, family
and community learning environments in which
students feel
valued,
respected,
connected to and
engaged in learning.”
(Ch. 1, Sec. 2)
Whose Responsibility is This?
“It is the collective responsibility of all
school staff and all community
partners to assume an appropriate role in
teaching and supporting social and
emotional learning skills.”
(Ch. 1, Sec. 2)
“Parents, teachers and community
members, by fostering a sense of
cooperative responsibility, can
reinforce one another’s efforts.”
(Ch. 3, Sec. 1)
What role do counselors play in
supporting Policy 4373?
1. Key player in leading the charge social and emotional learning (Ch. 1)
4373 Crosswalk K-12 -Guidance and Counseling Policy 2315 aligns with
4373 Social and Emotional learning standards.
2. Participate and be part of the school leadership team. (Ch. 3)
3. Child Abuse Prevention WV Code 49-6A-2 (Ch. 2)
4. Utilize programs that reduce violence and drug abuse. (Ch. 3)
5. Recommended members of School Crisis Response Plan. (Ch. 3)
How are parents involved?
“Parents, as their children’s first and most
enduring teachers, can complement
their children’s school learning and
behavior by serving as collaborators in
the educational process.”
(Ch. 3, Sec. 1)
And the Community?
“Community involvement, including strong
business partnerships, promotes a safe and
supportive school climate/culture that
connects students to a broader learning
community.”
(Ch. 3, Sec. 1)
Chapter 3
Planning for Policy
Implementation
Sec. 1 – Conceptual Framework
Sec. 2 – Responsibilities of the West Virginia Board
of Education
Sec. 3 – Responsibilities of the Regional Education
Service Agencies
Sec. 4 – Responsibilities of County Boards of
Education
Sec. 5 – Responsibilities of Schools
If the School Climate/Culture is
Positive – Students, Staff and
Parents Feel:
• Safe . . . emotionally, intellectually and
physically
• Engaged
• Respected
(Ch. 3, Sec.1)
What a Positive School
Climate/Culture Looks Like?
 characterized by warmth, positive interest,
and involvement by adults
 firm limits to unacceptable behavior
 where non-hostile, non-physical negative consequences
are consistently applied in cases of violations of rules and
other inappropriate behaviors
 adults act as authorities and positive role models
(Olweus, D., Limber, S. & Mihalic, S.F. (1999). Bullying Prevention
Program. Boulder, CO: Center for the Study/Prevention of Violence)
24
How does the policy support this?
In order to convey a pervasive and consistent
message that these valued dispositions are a
priority, all students, staff and public guests
of West Virginia public schools shall behave in
a manner that promotes a school climate/
culture that is safe and supportive and
conducive to developing our valued
dispositions.
(Ch. 3, Sec. 1)
Where do Expectations Apply?
Conduct expectations apply to all students, staff and
public guests:
-> on school property,
-> on school owned/leased buses and vehicles,
-> at school bus stops and
-> at sponsored events.
(Ch. 3, Sec. 1)
At a minimum, schools shall:
Establish a leadership team and a
process to gain school-wide
input and commitment to manage
the design, monitoring and improvement
of school climate/culture
(Ch. 3, Sec. 5)
At a minimum, schools shall:
Make data driven improvement
decisions based on school climate/
culture data to set school-wide
improvement priorities/plans
West Virginia School Climate Surveys:
A Critical Component of
Implementing
Expected Behaviors in Safe
and Supportive Schools
West Virginia Department of Education
Office of Research
29
Objectives of the Survey
1. Provide background information about the WV
School Climate Surveys
2. Describe what goes into planning for and
conducting the surveys
3. Provide examples of selected data products
produced for schools
4. Discuss uses for the data
30
School Climate Domain Mapping
31
What School Get from Participating
• Survey summary reports for each survey
 Student, Staff, and Parent
• School Climate Index Score
 Overall School Climate conditions
 Scores on twenty school climate indicators showing your
school relative to all other schools
 Summary data on 56 measures making up the 20 indicators
• Assistance in using the data to improve school
climate conditions
32
School Climate Index
For this school the overall WVSCI is 5.82.
33
At a minimum, schools shall:
Implement programs/practices
that promote
• Universal youth asset development
• Targeted at-risk group interventions
• Referral processes for intensive
interventions
SPL Relating to Behavior
What interventions are in place
at your school?
Level 3
• Intensive Interventions
• Individual students
• Assessment-based
Level 2
• Targeted Group Interventions
• Some students (at-risk)
• Rapid response
Level 1
• Core Instructional Interventions
• All settings, all students
• Preventive, proactive
Support for Personalized Learning (SPL)
Including RTI and Critical Skills within a Common Collaborative Structure – SPL
What Does Instruction Look Like?
How Does A Student Respond to Instruction?
What Does SPL Look Like
Core Instruction
Intensity
Academic
Support
Variable
Students
 All Students
Targeted Instruction
Behavior
Support
 All Students
Academic
Support
 Some at-risk students

Instruction
 Provides all students





with a strong core
personalized
curriculum focused on
meeting individual
needs
Responsive teaching
allows students to take
on new learning using
scaffolded instruction
Differentiated
instruction, Universal
Design For Learning
and co-teaching are
utilized
Emphasizes learning
24/7
Emphasizes student
responsibility and
accountability
Instruction designed to
engage students,
framed for clarity and
relevancy, presented
with pre-assessment
and learning targets,
 Standards of Behavior






are clearly articulated
to all students, parents
and supported by all
staff
Universal interventions
used with all students
to promote healthy
development and
prevent problems
School-wide social
skills training
Teach school behavior
expectations
Effective classroom
management
Positive reinforcement
systems
Instruction designed to
engage students,
framed for clarity and
relevancy, presented
with pre-assessment
and learning targets,
includes embedded
time for students to



who need short-term
intervention to achieve
grade-level mastery
Intervention at first
indication of learning
difficulties
Supplemental support
for identified skill areas
of deficiency
Designed to complement
and extend core
instruction
Additional exposure to
general education
curriculum
Behavior
Support
 Some at-risk students
who need short-term
intervention with initial
displays of difficulty
with behavior
 Provision of group





interventions within the
general education
classroom
Small group
interventions to
address: anger, social
skills, substance abuse.
Self-management
training and support
Parent training and
collaboration
Behavior contracting
Mentor programs to
provide connections
with caring adults that
support positive
behavior
Intensive Instruction
Academic
Support
 Few high risk students
who do not make
sufficient progress with
targeted instruction
 Lessons that target
weaknesses while
leveraging student
strengths.
 Intensive individualized
instruction for students
who are struggling to
make sufficient
progress with targeted
instruction
Behavior
Support
 Few high risk students
who do not make
sufficient progress with
targeted interventions
 Intensive social skills
teaching
 Individual Behavior
Intervention Plan
 Multi-agency
collaboration
 Parent training and
collaboration
Core Instruction
Intensity
Academic
Support
Variable
Students
Instruction







All Students
Provides all students with a strong core
personalized curriculum focused on
meeting individual needs
Responsive teaching allows students to
take on new learning using scaffolded
instruction
Differentiated instruction, Universal
Design For Learning and co-teaching are
utilized
Emphasizes learning 24/7
Emphasizes student responsibility and
accountability
Instruction designed to engage students,
framed for clarity and relevancy,
presented with pre-assessment and
learning targets, includes embedded
time for students to process the
information, includes at least two
minutes of physical movement within
every twenty to forty minute period and
gages emotional climate of room with
opportunity to laugh with students
Behavior
Support









All Students
Standards of Behavior are clearly
articulated to all students, parents and
supported by all staff
Universal interventions used with all
students to promote healthy development
and prevent problems
School-wide social skills training
Teach school behavior expectations
Effective classroom management
Positive reinforcement systems
Instruction designed to engage students,
framed for clarity and relevancy, presented
with pre-assessment and learning targets,
includes embedded time for students to
process the information, includes at least
two minutes of physical movement within
every twenty to forty minute period and
gages emotional climate of room with
opportunity to laugh with students
Youth engagement initiatives such as peer
mediation and conflict resolution
programs (i.e. Teen Court and Natural
Helpers)
Intensity
Targeted Instruction
Variable
Students


Instruction



Academic
Support
Some at-risk students who need short-term
intervention to achieve grade-level mastery
Intervention at first indication of learning
difficulties
Supplemental support for identified skill
areas of deficiency
Designed to complement and extend core
instruction
Additional exposure to general education
curriculum







Behavior
Support
Some at-risk students who
need short-term
intervention with initial
displays of difficulty with
behavior
Provision of group
interventions within the
general education
classroom
Small group interventions
to address: anger, social
skills, substance abuse.
Self-management training
and support
Parent training and
collaboration
Behavior contracting
Mentor programs to
provide connections with
caring adults that support
positive behavior
Intensity
Variable
Students

Instruction

Intensive Instruction
Academic
Behavior
Support
Support
Few high risk students
Few high risk students who
who do not make
do not make sufficient
sufficient progress with
progress with targeted
targeted instruction
interventions
Lessons that target
Intensive social skills
weaknesses while
teaching
leveraging student
Individual Behavior
strengths.
Intervention Plan
Intensive individualized
Multi-agency collaboration
instruction for students
Parent training and
who are struggling to
collaboration
make sufficient progress
with targeted instruction






Interventions PBIS
At a minimum, schools shall:
Evaluate school climate/culture
improvement process and revise
as needed
How Will We Assess Progress?
 Climate/culture survey data
 Reduced referrals for inappropriate behaviors
 Decreases in absentee rate
 Increases in informal positive socialization
 A perceived sense of community
 Reduction in out-of- school and in-school
suspensions
 If it’s starting to look and feel like we imagined
42
How does the WVDE help schools
evaluate school climate?
Discipline Management
System WVEIS
Change is Slow and often Subtle
Changing a school’s climate is
a process
Not in big events, but
steps implemented, strategically, over time.
This process usually takes between
3-5 years.
44
Crisis Response Plans
WV Code 18-9F-9
• Templates are provided to each school
• All schools have had A School Safety Audit
• Each school has been digitally mapped to
ensure rapid response and accuracy.
-Secure data is stored in secure locations
Crisis Response Plan
School are responsible for:
• form a crisis response planning team
• shall develop a school specific crisis response plan using the
state/county template
• Filing crisis response plan with the Division of Homeland Security
• annually review its crisis response plan
• placing school employee in charge during a crisis and a designated
substitute
• Using a communication plan
• developing protocols for responding to immediate physical harm of
students and staff
• developing protocols for safe entrance and exit from the school
during an evocation
• developing policy's for enforcing school discipline during a crisis
Chapter 4
Inappropriate Behaviors and
Meaningful Interventions and
Consequences
The purpose of these regulations is to
provide schools with policy that
creates and ensures an orderly and
safe environment that is conducive to
learning.
(Ch. 4, Sec. 1)
Level 1
Minimally Disruptive Behaviors- disrupt the
educational process and the orderly operations of
the school but do not pose direct danger to self or
others.
Cheating
Deceit
Tardiness
Falsifying identity
Inappropriate appearance
Skipping class
Inappropriate Language
Inappropriate display of affection
Failure to serve detention
Disruptive/Disrespectful Conduct
Vehicle parking violation
Possession of inappropriate personal
property
Level 2
Disruptive and Potentially Harmful Behaviorsdisrupt the educational process and/or pose potential harm
or danger to self and/or others. The behavior is committed
willfully but not in a manner that is intended maliciously to
cause harm or danger to self and/or others.
Gang-related activity
Habitual violation of school rules or policies
Insubordination
Leaving school without permission
Physical fight without injury
Possession of imitation weapon
Possession of knife not meeting “dangerous weapon definition”
Profane language/obscene gesture/indecent act toward employee or student
Technology misuse
Level 3
Imminently Dangerous, Illegal and/or Aggressive
Behaviors-are willfully committed and are known to
be illegal and/or harmful to people and/or property.
Battery against a student
False fire alarm
Gambling
Trespassing
Sexual misconduct
Inhalant abuse
Threat of injury/assault against an employee or student
Imitation drugs
Improper or negligent operation of a motor vehicle
Hazing
Substance containing tobacco/nicotine
Larceny
Harassment/bullying/intimidation
Defacing school property/vandalism
Fraud/forgery
It DOES Matter what YOU do
Bullying Prevention
Level 4
Safe School Act Behaviors- are consistent
with those addressed in West Virginia
Codes.
Battery against a school employee
Felony
Illegal substance related behaviors
Possession and/or use of dangerous weapon
*Level 4 behaviors are used in the identification and
classification of Persistently Dangerous Schools.
May Counties Add
Interventions and Consequences?
“County/school policies
should identify
appropriate and meaningful
interventions and consequences
that include, but are not limited to,
examples provided in this policy.”
(Ch. 4, Sec.1)
Examples of Interventions
that Could be Added
• For students with disabilities: Behavior
Intervention Plan, Reconvene the IEP or 504
Committee
• Referral to a local mental health agency for
counseling
• Placing a student who has been excluded from
class or suspended in school in another
teacher’s classroom to complete assignments
Prevention
Intervention
Prevention is the process in which we teach students to
choose acceptable behavior and help them develop an attitude
of respect for oneself and others.
Intervention is the process in which we hold students
responsible for their behavior and for the consequences of that
behavior.