Rachel Goolsby
November 3, 2015
Preventing and Responding to Violence
Second Grade
Henrioc Country Public Schools have a Code Violation Categories; consisting of five steps from minor to major infractions.
Category 1: Supports & Interventions up to Minor Consequences Misconduct under this category shall result in classroom supports, interventions, or minor consequences.
Category 2: Minor Consequences up to a 1-3 Day Suspension from School Misconduct under this category may result in suspension for a maximum of three (3) days.
Category 3: 1-5 Day Suspension from School Misconduct under this category may result in suspension for a maximum of five (5) days.
Category 4: 6 -10 Day Suspension from School Misconduct under this category may result in suspension for a maximum of ten (10) days. * For elementary-age students and students with disabilities - administrator may consider 1-10 day suspension under
Category 4.
Category 5A or 5B : Long-term Suspension or Expulsion from School
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Category 5A : Misconduct under this category may result in suspension for a maximum of ninety (90) days.
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Category 5B : Misconduct under this category shall result in a recommendation for expulsion. (18)
Intervention and Reponses are given an ABC of behavior, with the efforts to provide the students with Positive Behavior Interventions. Antecedent: what is triggering or going on prior to the behavior; Behavior: what behavior is actually occurring; Consequences: what consequence or event is occurring following the behavior. HCPS believes that “student behavior can be changed by focusing on the positives” (16)
I had a conversation with Mrs. Peugh, the principal at Longan Elementary School. For starters, in the classroom, to avoid focusing on consequences, every classroom in the school uses

color clip charts and character counts. These two discipline models are focused on individual students and whole group classes. All parents are aware of the clip chart, when their students are on red, they are notified with a phone call home and discussion at school with the teacher and/or assistant principal (if needed). Character counts are given in the classroom to students who truly stand out, following the ROAR: responsible, outstanding behavior, attitude and respectful behaviors. Each week Mrs. Peugh draws names from any students who received a character counts, the names drawn get to come to her office and receive a gift.
Students who have frequent referrals or tend to find trouble are added to the Peugh Crew
(PC). Mrs. Peugh will meet with the student and parents to discuss the expectations of the student. They will discuss how Longan supports and promotes positive behavior. The student will be reminded that they are part of the Longan Lion team. Mrs. Peugh will make sure to see the student each morning at the beginning of the day and every afternoon to check-in with how the day has been for the student. Mrs. Peugh emphasized positive conversations are very effective for these students and establishing an on-going relationship throughout the year with the student. They reinforce and remind the students to have a positive attitude. Mrs. Peugh makes sure the student understands and accepts responsibility for their actions, they pay the consequences and move forward.
Mrs. Woods, the resource teacher, and also the assistant principal, is the primary contact when a student needs help. Mrs. Woods will call home, have a conference with the student and gives discipline to student. Mrs. Hensley is the counselor for the school, where these students can come talk about how they are feeling, why they are acting the way they are and she helps the student process what is going on. If necessary, a behavior team consisting of Mrs. Woods and
Mrs. Hensley, the student’s teacher and any other suggested teachers can observe the students in

the classroom, making suggestions and ways of support for the student. New Bridge is a school offered for students who might need some time to themselves, it offers one-on-one work for the student and typically no negative behavior is seen (while student attends New Bridge). Another option is Response to Intervention (RtI), a meeting that hosts a social worker, school psychologist, school counselor and principal. This behavior intervention plan collects data, gives appropriate incentives and puts in places a plan for success.
Violence is not a common issue found at Longan Elementary School, according to Mrs.
Peugh. Most of the students come from blue collar, working families. There is one resource officer for ten schools. The resource officer does drive-bys around the schools. If there are any marks found on a student or violence in the home is assumed or evident, the resource officer will call Child Protective Services (CPS). The resource officer is readily available by phone call and there is always open communication with emailing, too.
When a student gets in trouble, the school is required to fill out a school discipline report.
Depending on the infraction, the administration will decide who to include on the contact list; the more severe the infraction, the more people will be notified/involved. If aggression is evident, administration will work alongside parents and central office, putting together an IEP when necessary for student. Longan follows the code of contact given by Henrico Country Public
School. http://henrico.k12.va.us/Pdf/Instruction/CodeOfStudentConduct15-16.pdf

Artifact
Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) had three different components to prevent and handle violence: policy, programs and planning. No two schools are alike, making one effective prevention violence plan impossible. Violence prevention programs work best when incorporating many different strategies, fully encompassing the full range of possible acts of violence.
The guidance for school violence prevention and response is offered through the following areas:
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Ways to prevent student violence
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Threat assessment
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Planning and training fro what to do during an actual crisis
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How to respond during a crisis
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How to handle the aftermath of a crisis
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Legal considerations
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Recommendations for the media o Involves roles of school administration, teachers and staff, student, parent, law enforcement and community
Among the ways the document can be used are as follows:
• To help communities audit their schools’ existing policies, procedures, and plans. Not every suggestion contained in this document is appropriate for every school. All schools and communities could benefit, though, from checking to see that they have considered and, where appropriate, implemented the recommendations likely to enhance school safety.
• To serve as a basis for strengthening collaborative school violence policies, procedures, and plans. School safety planning committees can delete, revise, and add to recommendations in this document as needed to address their unique needs and circumstances.
• To help public safety and other crisis response agencies assess their school safety plans.
• To provide guidance to members of the school community.
On page 8, there are different examples provided for conflict-resolution. My favorite part I read about was how they offer a mediation program, training people in conflict-resolution while using

a third party for assistance (whether mediation comes from peers or adults). The idea of having a mediator is to help both students talk out their feelings, while the mediator listens and asks provoking questions. This method of conflict-resolution allows not one student to feel singled out or ‘ganged up on’ but both students can speak freely and talk out the issues. https://www.bja.gov/Publications/IACP_School_Violence.pdf