Student Discipline

Restorative Approach - It is the intent of Alvord Unified School District to provide a safe, supportive and effective learning environment for all students.  Recognizing that we serve young people, we share the obligation to teach and reinforce positive, pro-social behaviors with families and the broader community.  We are also responsible for ensuring that students and adults build positive relationships and are held accountable to themselves, each other, and the community.  Exclusionary discipline like suspension and expulsion may occur as provided by law but are intended as a last resort after other interventions and supports have failed to result in safe and positive behaviors. 

We are committed to pro-actively teaching skills and behaviors, reinforcing and supporting positive behaviors, and intervening with additional support when a student is struggling.  This doesn't happen in isolation; we partner with students and their families as well as the school community to assist students to develop skills and make healthy choices that promote safety for all.  As part of our Restorative Approach, students will be educated on community expectations and common practices to ensure safety for all, have the opportunity to reflect, engage in restorative conversations, make reparations through restitution or community service, develop new skills through direct teaching, mediate agreements to address conflict, and be provided supports such as counseling to meet their social-emotional needs.

Positive Behavior Intervention & Supports (PBIS) - PBIS is a tiered framework adopted by a whole school community to integrate systems, data and practices to improve outcomes for all students.  PBIS includes the development of common expectations and language across school settings, direct instruction of skills and behaviors for all students, regular and ongoing positive reinforcement and recognition of effort and growth, and ongoing analysis of data to adjust practice in response to challenges or hotspots, target supports for specific students, and determine most effective practices that promote a safe, supportive and effective learning environment for all students.