[Brevard County, FL] [June 18, 2024] - In Brevard County classrooms, the conclusion of the 2023-2024 school year was markedly different than the close of the previous year. A year ago, as the 2022-2023 school year wound down, the narrative was unchecked student misbehavior – in the classrooms, in the halls, and on the bus. Teachers, bus drivers, and other staff were resigning, citing the unruly behavior as the main reason. The mood this year was vastly different.
School Board Member Matt Susin, District 4, discussed the change by saying, "This current board made the effort to tackle this tough, controversial issue to protect our student's educational environment. Now our number one goal - student achievement is soaring with our most recent scores because teachers and bus drivers are supported.”
The Brevard Federation of Teachers Union President, Anthony Colucci reiterated this sentiment, saying, “The biggest change this year is that our teachers feel more supported. I want to compliment this board, and this superintendent, for setting the tone that we are going to take discipline seriously within Brevard Public Schools, and it has worked its way into the classroom.”
Other employees also noticed a change this school year. In a recent survey, 99% of bus drivers reported feeling confident in handling disciplinary events on the bus, and 86% expressed that reporting incidents to supervisors was more streamlined and efficient. This is in stark contrast to a survey during the previous year in which 86% of the drivers felt unsafe driving their bus.
During that tumultuous 2022-2023 school year, the School Board tasked RSM, who regularly conducts audits for Brevard Public Schools (BPS), to audit BPS discipline systems and programs. RSM conducted the review and provided the district with a plan to move forward. Recommendations, stemming from the audit included:
Expanding the Student Information System to track student discipline. This includes increased training for staff.
Reinstituting the Discipline Committee to review procedures and make recommendations on a consistent basis (the discipline committee had not met for years).
High-level monitoring of the district’s discipline plan
Increased training for staff on various elements of discipline reporting and tracking.
Reviewing Alternative Learning Centers (ALC) to decrease the student population while increasing the ALC program's effectiveness.
The conclusion of the audit coincided with a change in district leadership. New Superintendent Dr. Mark Rendell restructured support systems at the district and incorporated many of the recommendations from RSM. This included increased training for school-based personnel and the creation of data monitoring processes in FOCUS (The Student Information System used by the district). Further, this allowed for more streamlined reporting of metrics, while also ensuring data is more accurate and attainable to both staff and parents. The expectation was set that discipline referrals would be processed within 24 hours. Additionally, this implementation aimed to eliminate confusion and delays with reporting, while also providing staff and administrators more support and solid benchmarks. The board additionally put through, with staff support, new policies relating to student electronic device usage, and a revised Dress Code policy.
Rendell believes these changes have helped restore order. “We are the only district I know of that expects a discipline referral to be processed within 24 hours. We monitor the numbers weekly and address any inconsistencies. This supports the hard work of teachers and staff. I believe they know that if a student misbehaves, we will administer consequences.”
At a work session on June 18, School Board Members and district staff reviewed data from the 2023-2024 school year, comparing it to data from the previous school year. There were several data points that illustrated the success of the changes implemented this year:
Even though the district more strictly enforced the rules, the number of days of “In School Suspension” and “Out of School Suspension” decreased by 8%. This resulted in 3,403 fewer days of missed instruction.
Even though it remained the highest infraction, there was a 1% decrease in “willful disobedience.” Representing over 1,000 fewer instances.
The consequence “Lunch Detention,” a new code for the 2023-2024 year, was used 9,160 times in lieu of other consequences.
And finally, 263 fewer students were sent to an Alternative Learning Center (ALC), and 312 students opted for the drug diversion program.
Another example of where the recommendations from the audit have come to fruition is within the Department of Student Services, and the revamping of the Elementary and Secondary Code of Student Conduct. Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, Pamela Dampier, has led the division in a restructuring of policies, procedures, and expectations. Dampier reorganized the Discipline Plan Committee into the District Discipline Work Group, where the community worked together for the first time in years, to collaborate for the benefit of all BPS students.
The District Discipline Work Group is composed of community members, representatives from the Board, the Brevard Association of School Administrators (BASA), the BFT, Local Union 1010, the Student Advisory Council, and School Resource Officers. The group wanted to ensure their solutions offered consistent, measurable progress for the district, its administration, its students, and its community. One result is that the 2024-2025 School Year Code of Conduct was approved before the current year's end. This feat was achieved through the group members coming together and collectively portioning out sections of the 2023-2024 Code of Conduct, and then recommending revisions and collaborating on solutions.
With the BPS mission statement, “To Serve Every Student with Excellence as the Standard,” representatives of the work group wanted to ensure this was at the forefront of why the revisions were needed and made. Building on the 2023-2024 BPS Code of Student Conduct, which includes a section of School Community Responsibilities, was the addition of a Student Success portion. This portion provides examples of Student Success Behaviors, for 2024–2025 school year, detailing behaviors and social emotional learning skills which will help students achieve academic success. The Student Success behaviors offer an additional pathway for student growth and display clear, direct communication of expectation. Furthermore, starting next school year, 2024-2025, BPS will now have behavior technicians at elementary school sites to support and assist teachers in providing interventions and classroom management tools.
Current School Board Chair, Megan Wright, District 1, believes this is a step in the right direction. She said, “The institution of the new policies and procedures has placed us on the right path for adjustment. I am looking forward to watching misbehavior data points decrease while watching student academic success increase.”
The school board and district stand firm in their dedication to furnishing our students and staff with top-notch educational and work environments. Our focus remains on safeguarding classrooms as secure spaces for learning. This steadfast commitment propels us to enhance our discipline procedures continually, recognizing that a secure learning setting forms the bedrock of academic achievement.
For media inquiries or further information please contact: [Ryan Dufrain] [Assistant Superintendent to Human Resources] [321-633-1000 ext. 11200] [dufrain.ryan@brevardschools.org]