Tempe Union presents student-conduct report citing restorative gains and racial disparities

Mr. McDonald presented the Tempe Union High School District’s first-semester student-conduct update, outlining changes since early 2022 and the district’s expanded use of restorative practices and MTSS teams to reduce punitive discipline.

He said the top three categories for infractions across grades 9–12 were defiance/disrespect, disruption and a tie for telecommunications (cell phones) and vape paraphernalia. The presentation showed 86 mandated referrals to law enforcement, of which three resulted in arrests; Mr. McDonald said roughly 78% of mandated referrals did not lead to court referral because many cases were diverted or handled through family services. He described data‑driven work by MTSS teams and weekly reviews by behavior interventionists and deans and noted downward trends in out‑of‑school suspensions compared with past years.

Trustees pressed for further detail. Member Hodge asked for disaggregated data by school; Vice President James asked about teacher guidance and PD for handling defiance and implicit bias; Member Barrazo and others asked how administrators could better support teachers. Administration said the district’s data dashboard allows drilldowns to students and school sites and committed to more consistent PD, teacher and student focus groups, and quarterly reviews of student conduct data.

The presentation also referenced pilot plans for camera‑linked vape detection systems to identify vaping incidents outside bathrooms; the district said the pilot will be evaluated by the executive team before broader use.

Ending: The board requested further briefing materials, including school‑by‑school and grade‑by‑grade disaggregations, and identified restorative‑practice PD and focus groups as near‑term next steps.