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DAYTON–Innovative approaches to behavior and discipline appear to be paying dividends, the Dayton School Board heard at a recent meeting.

Dean of Students Hannelee Farrell provided a discipline report focusing on the Bulldog Room, as well as general information about discipline during the work session, indicating that during the recently concluded school year, positive trends have been documented.

In her role as Dean of Students, Farrell is a resource for students and staff when there are behavior issues. The Bulldog Room offers students a safe place to work with a trusted adult which allows them to remain in school while working through issues.

The data Farrell presented reflected student referrals to her office from the beginning of the year to the end decreased by around two-thirds. Her next goal is to work on taking a preventive approach to behavior intervention, rather than reactive. They have started by identifying student personality types which can help staff better meet their needs.

The board reviewed actions taken by new board appointees and elected members over the past several years, which included the change in administration.

Over the past few years, the Dayton School District directed its focus on addressing disciplinary issues that concerned staff, parents, and students. During the 2021-22 school year, there was a major turnover in the school board, except for Grant Griffen. Two were appointed – Jeff McCowen in July of 2021 and Zac Fabian in the fall; two were elected, Aneesha Dieu and Korinda Wallace. They worked to restructure the discipline model and the administration. They also chose to implement programs to bolster and unify the approach of staff with students while building strength of character in them.

For the fall of 2021, new behavior management flow charts were created by the elementary and secondary principals. That information was included in the student handbooks to clearly illustrate procedures for cohesive disciplinary action with a focus on restorative rather than punitive practices.

The Board voted to restructure the administration in the spring of 2022, from three to two full-time equivalents (FTE). When then-Superintendent Guy Strot resigned, they shifted by hiring full-time secondary principal Guin Joyce and contracted temporarily with Rich Stewart as a part-time superintendent which was a reduction of .5 FTE. Stewart contracts with districts on a temporary basis to reorganize and build communication within them.

Farrell, an elementary teacher, received training to be designated as the Dean of Students, and Sarah Reser was moved into a student advisor position.

The Board also approved using the program Character Strong for social emotional learning for staff and student development. During the 2022-23 school year other additions were made. New discipline models were introduced to staff such as PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) where the use of the acronym BRAVE was clearly visible to students around campus which stands for bold, responsible, attitude, value, and empathy. Areas were labeled with specific behavior expectations using BRAVE. In addition, Instructional, Reflective and Restorative (IRR) practices were used along with the Bulldog Room, when needed.