In the Miriam-Webster dictionary, intervention is described as a means of interfering with the outcome of a process, as to prevent harm or improve functioning. While this definition sounds straightforward enough, disciplinary intervention requires nuance and personalization that is unique to each district, school, and student.
Because of this, it’s important that educational establishments, such as Berkeley High School, have a set of guidelines towards disciplinary action. At BHS, this takes the form of the Positive Behavior Matrix (PBM), which was developed for all schools within the Berkeley Unified School District, based on the district’s official PBM document. Behavioral matrices differ from district to district, according to Tanzia Mucker, BHS student welfare and attendance specialist.
When determining the appropriate consequences and interventions for inappropriate student behavior, administrators must consider a variety of factors. This could include the age, maturity, and health of the student or the impact of the incident on the overall community.
A student’s culture should also be considered when assessing their behavior at school, according to information provided by Phillip Shelley, BUSD’s Director of Student Services and Student Welfare, through an email to the “Jacket.” This could mean recognizing different “cultural norms regarding communication, personal space, or social interaction,” according to Shelley. Staff were also encouraged to integrate “cultural sensitivity into all aspects of (their) work” to create an inclusive learning environment for students, he explained.
With these factors in mind, and the type of infraction and the number of times the student has repeated it, the severity of the consequences is determined on a Level 1 to 4 scale. For instance, a third offense of bullying would elicit a Level 3 response, which could include an in-school suspension or home visit, among other repercussions.
The PBM provides an idea of how staff should respond to the student, explained Yorda Weldeghiorgis, BHS Dean of Students. “And then if (the infraction) continues to happen after that first incident, there’s going to typically (be) some kind of escalated response, and so on and so forth.” The PBM gives guidance on how to ensure discipline in a progressive way, rather than immediately resulting in a suspension, she explained.
In addition to this, the PBM ensures that interventions are taken fairly, according to Weldeghiorgis. “When you don’t use (the PBM), if it were each person determining the consequence (of a disciplinary infraction) based on their gut feeling or their perspective, you’re going to have inequitable outcomes,” she said. “So what this does is really make sure that we… as administrators, are adhering to the expectations in terms of responses.”
However, to Walter Mitchell, BHS school safety officer, BHS’ current discipline system is “questionable.” He continued, “Parts of it, I think, are fair. Some of the discipline is … just not effective.”
For instance, there are infractions that should be “taken seriously enough” to consider removing a student from campus, but this isn’t “part of the discipline plan,” explained Mitchell. “(BHS will) call home and say something, and it continues to (happen),” he said. “There’s really no concrete set of rules … they would prefer that students not be suspended. They prefer that we not hold them accountable for being out of class,” said Mitchell.
This type of behavior may continue outside of school, leading to more serious issues for undisciplined students, continued Mitchell. “Some of the behaviors that some students have here, they’re allowed to behave in a certain way (with) no real consequences,” he said. “They take the same behaviors (out of school), that’s when they get in trouble, either with the police or worse.”
BHS has not discussed the PBM with Mitchell, according to him. “They can put it on paper and they can present it, but do they actually follow it nine times out of ten? They probably don’t,” he said.
Still, Mitchell explained that he’s been talking to admin “for years” about this issue. “They just never pay attention to it,” he said. “It’s more frustrating putting it out there, and (admin) not taking it seriously.”
Aside from the discipline part of the PBM, the “positive” side of the PBM is also one of its most important aspects. “The Positive Behavior Matrix is incentives, right? Sometimes people need that constant, ‘You’re doing a good job,’” said Mucker. “So there’s gift cards, there’s certain things to keep you going if we’re speaking positivity. There’s also that nurturing feeling that people may need… it’s always good to recognize the positive things that students do.”
In other words, if a student improves their behavior, they are rewarded, Mucker continued, such as attending class, improving grades, or staying free of referrals. Then, “we will call you in and say, ‘Hey, we see you. We recognize you. There’s something for you, for your good work,’” she said. This could mean pizza parties, free lunches, or a $10 gift card, she explained.
In the case of Lily Collins, a BHS junior, her reward was recently winning the Tardy Free Competition. The competition is an incentive-based program whose goal is to “see a student take accountability about their attendance and take initiative to make better strides” with gift cards, according to Mucker. “(Positive reinforcements) like these can go a long way for a student who may feel like that their good works are not being recognized,” she added.
On Collins’ side, she felt “a little uncertain” about what the competition really was, and that she hadn’t heard much about it. “I don’t know if it’s really for me personally, (that it) incentivizes not being tardy, but I think it’s a nice idea overall,” said Collins. However, she explained that she thought increased visibility for the competition would make it more effective.
This type of motivation-oriented approach was also implemented last year, through the March Madness Attendance Challenge. Like the Tardy Free Competition, the BHS attendance team would raffle off gift cards every Friday to students who had no tardies the preceding week, according to an email sent to BHS students by the Dean of Attendance, Cassandra Tesch. “It’s an excellent opportunity for students to be recognized for their commitment to punctuality,” Tesch wrote.
Mucker explained that each department has different systems of acknowledgement for students, including buying lunch. “It’s gestures like (these) that can change behaviors in a student from a negative to a positive,” she added.