District review: level‑4 incidents fall but level‑2 incidents rise as PBIS expands

Raleigh County Schools presented its 2025‑26 discipline data to the board and described how Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and targeted interventions are changing the district’s behavioral profile.

District staff reported that level‑4 violations decreased from 70 in 2024‑25 to 56 in 2025‑26, and level‑3 incidents declined from 849 to 770. The district also reported a decline in level‑1 incidents, from 1,615 to 1,297. At the same time, level‑2 incidents rose from 940 last year to 1,543 this year; the presentation said 381 of those were categorized as habitual violations and 344 as disrespectful/disruptive behavior.

Presenters attributed part of the shift to PBIS implementation and improved behavior tracking: "PBIS is teaching and consequences and reteaching expected behaviors," one presenter said, noting that all Raleigh County schools achieved bronze level PBIS status this year and that the district plans to expand tier‑2 supports such as Character Strong and Ripple Effect for secondary schools.

Board members and staff also discussed disproportionality in suspensions. A presenter cautioned that some headline percentages reflect repeated incidents by the same students rather than distinct students: "It may look really high but it may only have been 50 students 10 times," a board member said, asking staff to return with a breakdown of unique students involved. Staff agreed they can produce that report for a future meeting.

What’s next: the district will continue PBIS training over the summer, implement Character Strong and Ripple Effect components in the fall, and provide additional data at a future board meeting to clarify student‑level disproportionality and repeat‑offender counts.

Ending: Board members praised staff for progress but asked for follow‑up reports showing counts of distinct students involved in suspensions and the number of repeat incidents.