Poplar Bluff School District has added two efforts this year to help students stay in school while dealing with issues that might otherwise leave them suspended or otherwise unable to attend classes.
The efforts are aimed at helping students are experiencing disciplinary problems, behavioral issues or emotional stress.
__PASS Program__
The Positive Alternative to Student Suspension (PASS) Program is designed to help suspended students stay in school and not fall behind during their suspension earned board approval.
“Amidst an upsurge in disruptive student behavior, the district has noted a substantial increase in long-term student suspensions,” explained Dr. Aaron Cornman, superintendent. “Analysis of these cases unveiled a marked deterioration in academic engagement during a suspension, leading to academic challenges for those students upon their return to the educational setting.
“The district has instituted the Positive Alternative to Student Suspension program to mitigate these issues.”
The PASS Program will allow students under suspension for certain actions to serve suspension at Mark Twain School, which will allow them to work on their class assignments and keep them on track with their education.
“This initiative offers select students the opportunity to receive academic support in the educational setting, away from their peers, thereby facilitating a smoother transition back into the traditional school environment following a prolonged suspension,” he said.
The new program will employ a teacher and a paraprofessional and is estimated to cost the district between $75,000 and $100,000 annually, officials said. However, the recovery in attendance funding from the state could recoup between $50,000 and $75,000 of those costs while helping advance the students’ education, board members were told at an August regular meeting.
During the 2023-24 school year, 152 students were suspended for a total of 2,821 days. The PASS Program hopes to reduce this number significantly.
__RESET Room__
In a similar effort, the board approved the creation of a junior high RESET Room in cooperations with FCC Behavioral Health, a pilot program that FCC will fund in the first year.
This room, staffed by two FCC professionals, will allow students who are experiencing behavioral problems or emotional stress to check out of class and check in with FCC staff to talk out their issues and calm down so they can return to class.
“It has become evident that students in the post-COVID era are encountering challenges in exercising self-regulation and managing issues or conflicts before they escalate into significant incidents,” Cornman said. “In response, the district is collaborating with FCC to establish a “Reset Room” aimed at enabling students to reset their behaviors prior to reaching the point of necessitating an office referral.”
This initiative is designed to reduce the number of office referrals at the junior high—about 700 in the past year—and reduce classroom disruptions in a more productive way.
“Within this space, an FCC representative will engage with students to address their social and emotional behaviors as well as raise awareness about mental health, fostering the opportunity for a behavioral reset and a prompt return to class” Cornman explained. “This initiative excites us as it presents an opportunity to intervene and assist students prior to any escalation of behavioral concerns.”