Board adds up to 11 disciplinarian positions and introduces 'Dean of Culture and School Climate' role

The St. John the Baptist Parish School Board approved adding up to 11 disciplinarian positions to the district staffing model at its April 20 meeting.

The initial request from Superintendent Rebecca Johnson sought approval for 10 disciplinarians. Following discussion and a subsequent motion, the board approved up to 11 positions by roll call (9 yeas, 2 absent). Public commenters including Derron Cook and Robert Schaff spoke during the item.

At the same meeting, Johnson introduced a revised job title and description changing the traditional title “Disciplinarian” to “Dean of Culture and School Climate.” The job description presented to the board outlines duties that include direct student interventions, restorative mediations, family communication, data-driven behavior tracking, PBIS coordination (including Saturday PBIS sessions), crisis procedure planning, documentation of suspension/expulsion recommendations, and representation on district-level discipline or social-emotional committees. Preferred qualifications listed include a bachelor’s degree and a minimum of three years of relevant experience; a Louisiana teaching or educational leader license is preferred.

What the board recorded: the vote to add up to 11 disciplinarians passed; the job description was described at length in the meeting packet and read during the meeting, but the transcript does not show a separate roll-call vote approving the Dean of Culture job description itself.

What remains unclear: the transcript does not specify how the new positions will be funded, the timeline for hiring, whether the Dean role replaces existing positions or is incremental, nor the precise sites where new positions will be assigned. Those implementation details were not specified in the public meeting record.