Board reviews anti‑bullying policy and a social‑emotional program aimed at reducing discipline and building belonging

Central Consolidated Schools trustees reviewed the district’s anti‑bullying and harassment policy and heard a presentation on a social‑emotional learning initiative intended to reduce discipline incidents and strengthen school culture.

Peter Dwood presented the district’s policy references (J2550, J261, J3600, J3632, J3611/JICD), defined harassment and bullying, and outlined prohibited conduct. He described the district’s progressive discipline schedule: typically one to three days out‑of‑school suspension for a first founded offense, three to six days for a second, six to nine days for a third, and possible hearings for a fourth. Dwood said reported incidents trigger principal investigations, parent notification and anti‑retaliation measures.

Board members asked for an executive review before moving any personnel‑level policy changes and requested school‑level, disaggregated incident counts to guide revisions. One trustee noted inconsistent handbook language across campuses and asked general counsel to ensure a single, defensible policy is applied uniformly.

Kirtland Middle School Principal Cherylyn Lee described the Capturing Kids’ Hearts program the school is piloting. The program, approved as a layer‑one support by the state’s multi‑layered system of supports, includes monthly character and social‑skills lessons, classroom social contracts, a four‑question disciplinary redirection model and activities intended to build teacher–student relationships (for example, a daily ‘‘good things’’ bell‑ringer).

Lee said the program is available K–12 but that KMS is implementing middle‑school components now; the school aims to train all staff, collect data on discipline impacts and offer parent workshops on device protections in August. “Our goal is to build school culture…so our students come to the building enjoying learning,” she said.

Why it matters: Trustees framed both items as tools to protect students and improve instruction time. Members emphasized the need for clear, consistent policy language so that parental signatures and school handbooks match board policy and recommended additional data to prioritize disciplinary and prevention work.

What’s next: Staff will coordinate with general counsel on whether personnel details require an executive session and will compile school‑level incident counts and proposed technical edits for a future first reading.