Episode Details

Frank Schofield, a school principal, explains how school-wide PBIS and administrative intervention cut office discipline referrals. His school logged almost 500 referrals one November and 140 the next, after clear expectations and a clear line between major and minor behavior.

When a student reaches the office, Schofield's team gets compliance first, hears the story from the teacher, then has the student practice the missing skill and a scripted apology. He also covers a level system for repeat offenders and why tier one has to come first.

What you'll learn

• Define majors and minors with your staff around safety and disruption, so unprepared students and similar minor issues stop reaching the office.
• Hand out clickers on a clicker day so teachers count their own positive comments to students.
• Teach the student the missing skill and a scripted apology, then train teachers to accept it without a lecture.
• Reserve daily check-in, check-out level systems for your highest flyers, because they take an administrator time every morning and afternoon.
• Build tier one behavior support before adding tier three programs like Check and Connect, or they have nothing to plug into.

Chapters

• 0:00 Communication cards and stating the purpose
• 2:05 Why the school moved discipline data to Skyward
• 4:16 Nearly 500 referrals down to 140
• 6:10 Clicker days to track positive feedback
• 9:17 Administrative intervention step by step
• 18:49 Defining major and minor behaviors with staff
• 24:28 Level systems for repeat offenders
• 31:13 Tier one first, then Check and Connect

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Questions this episode answers

How do you reduce office discipline referrals?
Schofield's school spent a year building basic PBIS systems: clear school-wide expectations, rules for majors versus minors, a set office procedure and administrator training. November referrals fell from almost 500 to 140 the following year.

What is administrative intervention for students sent to the office?
Schofield describes a Boys Town based process. Administrators get basic compliance, hear the teacher's side, have the student practice the missing skill, then practice an apology with set steps. The teacher accepts it and welcomes the student back.

When should a student be sent to the office for profanity?
Schofield says aggressive profanity aimed at a peer or teacher creates an unsafe environment and is a referral. Casual swearing between friends gets handled by classroom supports, unless the student argues when corrected.

Links and resources

• Rate on Apple Podcasts
• Rate on Stitcher
• Jethro Jones on Twitter
• Transformative Principal on Twitter
• Communication Cards
• Show notes for this episode
• Paperless Principal book

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