A next wave: Teachers and behavioral supports

Last week, I attended a workshop on student discipline by education veteran, Sherman Garnett. Sherman discussed at length California Ed. Code 49079 and the likelihood that schools will see a rise in student behavior issues in the classroom. To keep it simple, the Ed. Code known as “Notification to Teachers” requires school districts to notify teachers of students that have engaged in or been suspected to have engaged in a laundry list of disciplinary infractions in the current year as well as in the past three years.

This requirement, often part of a districts school safety plan, sounds simple enough and yet a vast number of districts are out of compliance. And while adverse childhood experiences or ACES is not a new concept to education professionals, as students return en masse to the classroom many health experts are predicting a “Children’s Mental Health Crisis Could Be a Next ‘Wave’ in the Pandemic”.

Because parents, teachers, and other adults see children in different situations, it is important for them to work together to share information about how each child is coping after a traumatic event.

Equipping teachers with this information is vital in their ability to identify triggers, implement de-escalation and other behavior interventions.

The CDC emphasizes the important role teachers play in helping children both prepare for and recover after a public health emergency. They state, “It is difficult to predict how some children will respond to disasters and traumatic events. Because parents, teachers, and other adults see children in different situations, it is important for them to work together to share information about how each child is coping after a traumatic event.”

For teachers to support student success, they must be informed not only of a student’s history but also of incidents that occur in other classrooms during the school day.

Editor’s Note: SI&A’s Behavior Alert Solution can take Ed. Code 49079 notification requirements off your plate—ensuring 100% compliance. You can read more about Behavior Alert here.