Behavior Intervention Support Team

The staff at Curtis Middle School in USD 259 is presenting to you with this letter a proposal to establish a new behavior modification model aimed at today's students.

There has been an increase of school violence throughout the cities in these United States. Much of it is beyond the control of the teacher, such as parenting, cultural issues, the availability of guns, victimization, psychological and spiritual problems.

And no matter how much the community can be proactive in this area, there still will be incidences of violence.

If we do a general observation of students as a whole, even those who get into trouble, well, sometimes they just do not know any better. Or they are just testing the limits. Or they can't manage their feelings, and even cannot experience an uncomfortable feeling without getting in trouble. There are others.

Because of these changing and trying circumstances we find ourselves in, B.I.S.T., the Behavior Intervention Support Team has created the "Confrontational Model" in order to help students to be successful in school and hence turn back the tide.

And it is this model which I am presenting to you as a clear way forward for the betterment of students, teachers, parents, indeed the whole community.

There are other teaching models, of course, some fairly successful, such as the "win-win discipline" method. B.I.S.T. comes from years of experience at The Ozanam Home for Boys. From their web site:

"Since it first opened its doors in 1948, Ozanam has helped more than 6,000 children get their lives back on track. Located on a 96 acre campus in south Kansas City, Ozanam provides residential treatment, educational day treatment, group home living, independent living services and behavior consultation services for schools. The wide array of therapeutic options, coupled with a dedicated staff of more than 140, helps children and their families begin to put their lives back together."

Ozanam has formed B.I.S.T. from their experiences, and it is, in my opinion, the best method geared for Curtis Middle school.

And in order for us to be successful as a school, there must be a consistency among teachers as to how we are assessing, intervening, and having follow-up for those with behavior issues. B.I.S.T. is a school wide model, involving all adults that interact with the students on a regular basis. B.I.S.T even has key follow-ups by consultants that periodically come to the school to assess and give advice.

What appears below is a summary of this "Confrontational Model", taken from their seminar "Saying Ð''No' to Acting Out, Defiance & Violence in Our Schools". This is all given with the hope that in some way you and others concerned with budget decisions will have it in them to allocate funds for such a seminar for the teachers as a whole.

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The Confrontational Model is primarily an organized, caring way of relating to the students with behavior problems. It in no way avoids responsibility on the part of the student. Yet all adults in the school who deal directly with the students are involved in the process.

On the one hand the students need to realize that adults truly accept them. That they are saying: "I accept you, just as you are, right now." This means that we adults embrace their problems, their pains, their needs. This is a pro-active strategy from the adults.

Equally important is accountability. The student must face up to the fact that:

a. "I did it"

b. "I am truly sorry"

c. "It is a part of a problem in my life"

d. "I accept the consequences"

e. "I accept and need help."

These two areas, what is called "grace and accountability" work in a balance. To achieve that balance requires discipline on both the teacher and the student. For instance, a teacher's discipline is out of balance whenever he or she enables (lectures to the student, explains, gives reasons why, rescues them, or ignores the problem) or when he or she becomes counter aggressive (blames, goes off, predicts failure, puts down, abandons or rejects). A balanced response would provide empathy, increase supervision, or provide a restricted environment to allow accountability, and will ask questions that allow the student to get past denial and blame.

Eventually, the goals are written out by the student, but in some way involve the following:

"I can be safe and productive even though I am overwhelmed by my feelings."

"I can be productive even though I don't want to be."

"I can take good care of myself when others are not."

"I can be where an adult at school tells me to be."

There are four steps in the Confrontational Model: 1) early intervention; 2) caring confrontation; 3) teaching/protective plan, and 4) outlasting the acting out. All four steps coincide together.

In the "Recovery Process", the B.I.S.T. manual has at least a page for each Ð''specialized person':

1. The Central Office. Here for instance they must make sure all staff have arrived at a consensus for committing to this model for a period of one year, routinely participate in on-going weekly meetings, and schedule the B.I.S.T. consulting staff to meet regularly at the school, just to name a few.

2. Counselor

3. Behavior interventionist. This person de-escalates anger of chronic offender, facilitates with staff to help clarify their individual roles in the four steps of the Confrontational Model, documents recovery activities, etc.

Part of the Recovery Process of course is the student taking responsibility. B.I.S.T. provides seven pages (p.44-51) of aids for the teacher to help in the student's process. Care is made for each step to be done successfully (For example, if a student doesn't know what he did, don't tell him. So a possible response to "What did I do?" can be "That's a great question. If you need to think about it, we can give you