Hinckley-Finlayson board hears high middle-school referrals, debates orientation timing and staffing

The Hinckley-Finlayson School District board discussed rising behavioral referrals and staffing concerns at the meeting. The Chair emphasized student belonging as a priority and said the district should focus on relationships before academics: "We want our students to be...that sense of belonging so that they're invested in our building and in our school and in our teachers," the Chair said.

A staff member expressed frustration with projected test scores and urged additional staff to address academic risk, saying, "I don't wanna make excuses...I don't wanna get those test scores." The staff member also raised recruitment pressures and cited percentage figures in comparing local districts (transcript phrases: "Years, 10 figures are 21%... Pine City at 32%..."). Transcript wording on those percentages is unclear.

Board members debated whether key activities should occur during orientation or on the first day of school. The Chair argued holding events on the first day ensures full student attendance; staff noted orientation sometimes misses students.

The Chair reported behavior referral counts by grade, summarizing the district's concerns about concentrated discipline incidents in middle grades: 7th grade 409; 8th grade 234; 9th grade 134; 10th grade 3; 11th grade 3; 12th grade 16. The Chair added that roughly 70–80% of referrals come from the middle grades (transcript language on the exact percentage is ambiguous).

The discussion focused on setting clear expectations early in middle school and on the need for additional classroom support to reduce referrals and improve outcomes. The board moved on to other agenda items after the discussion.