Format

Panel

First Presenter's Institution

Fairfax County Public Schools

First Presenter’s Email Address

mpharrington@fcps.edu

First Presenter's Brief Biography

Mark P. Harrington, Ph.D. Dr. Harrington is currently serving as the Security Specialist and School Based Probation Counselor for the high-risk population of the alternative school system. He is also an adjunct professor in the Criminology, Law, and Society Program and Graduate School of Education and Human Development at George Mason University, where he teaches self-developed courses relating to school and campus safety. Dr. Harrington retired from the Fairfax County Police Department after 25 years of service as a School Resource Officer, a Detective, and an Academy Instructor. He was awarded Virginia’s “Top Cop,” award three times by the state legislature, and received the Secret Service’s Director’s Award for excellence in investigation. He co-authored the widely published Victim Predictability Study and has published several manuals used to reduce adverse impact in police minority hiring practices. In 2019, Dr. Harrington was a contributing author to an internationally published article introducing a methodology for preventing school shootings and presented the findings at the 2019 International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference. In his new book, “Preventing School Violence; A Self-Assessment Approach,” Dr. Harrington introduces new programs to prevent violence and lays out the framework for initiating a facilitated school self-assessment. He will present the data from the piloted program at the 2022 National Alternative Education Conference. Dr. Harrington earned his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia in 2002 in Education Policy and Evaluation. He earned an M.Ed. in school psychology from UVA in 2000. He is also a graduate of George Mason University with a BS. in Health Sciences.

Second Presenter's Institution

Fairfax County Public Schools

Second Presenter’s Email Address

jthompson1@fcps.edu

Second Presenter's Brief Biography

Joe Thompson has worked for 28 years in Fairfax County Public Schools as a teacher, school administrator and central office administrator. Currently, he is in a Special Projects position within the central office, aligning all non-traditional schools and programs within the County. Annually, FCPS serves over 3,000 students in 41 different non-traditional, or alternative, locations across the county. Joe Thompson has served as a principal of both a Special Education Public Day School, and the principal of a state accredited Alternative High School.

Third Presenter's Institution

Fairfax County Public Schools

Third Presenter’s Email Address

cestone@fcps.edu

Third Presenter's Brief Biography

Ms. Stone began her educational career as a teacher in a private school where she learned about the power of strong relationships. When she transitioned to Fairfax County Public Schools as a German teacher, she built upon that experience to provide opportunities so that her students could demonstrate their knowledge in ways that worked best for them. Ms. Stone has helped spearhead intervention plans for struggling students and has worked collaboratively to address the issues that were preventing students from being successful in school. She has created programs for students who needed to recover credits and consistently worked to find alternative ways to help students. As a leader at Mountain View High School, Ms. Stone has been successful in building positive and collaborative partnerships with staff, colleagues, students, and families. She has worked with stakeholders to build a strong MTSS framework, effective collaborative teams, and a welcoming environment. Ms. Stone holds a Bachelor of Arts in German and Political Science from Rosemont College and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from George Mason University.

Fourth Presenter's Institution

Fairfax County Public Schools

Fourth Presenter’s Email Address

kswiteck@fcps.edu

Fourth Presenter's Brief Biography

Kim began her education career 27 years ago as an elementary school teacher, serving English language learners and students from low-income families in Title I schools for 21 years. She has served as a classroom teacher, Instructional Coach, Math Resource Teacher, Advanced Academic (GT) Resource Teacher, MTSS Intervention Specialist, and has been a Fairfax County Public Schools Teacher of the Year Nominee. She has also co-authored three professional development books on the NCTM Math Process Standards. Kim earned her BA, M.Ed., and endorsement in Administration and Supervision from the University of Virginia. She believes education is critical to making equity and opportunity possible.

Location

Session Eight

Strand #1

Heart: Social & Emotional Skills

Strand #2

Hands: Safety & Violence Prevention

Relevance

We attempt to provide each student with a strong sense of each. Although ours is an alternative high school, filled with stories of trauma, neglect and despair, our students are resilient! With that in mind we have created a number of programs to encourage resilience, provide a healthy path forward, decrease student discipline, and foster student success. All of these programs, and the stories we share detailing what our students have overcome show just how resilient young people can be, and are based upon a trauma informed approach and preventive behavioral interventions. For the purposes of this conference, we will discuss the following three programs and the unprecedented impact they’ve had on student success, as well as the unintended consequence of virtually eliminating incidents of violence in our school.

Brief Program Description

. The REO (re-entry option) Program was created in response to an overwhelming need to address severe disciplinary referral patterns and the disproportionate impact on students of color. It is rare that the underlying issue that may have precipitated the undesirable behavior is considered, and even rarer that a referral to clinical staff is the response. In the REO program is an intervention designed to be initiated by a teacher who recognizes or experiences a student in pre-crisis or a student a student who believes they need to a safe place to self-regulate to prevent escalating behavior. The student is escorted by a security staff or other staff member to a quiet, comfortable room in the hope that their tension will be reduced. After 10 minutes, the escorting staff member will check on the student. Often times the incident may be traced to a trauma in the student’s life. Identifying the triggers to the student’s behavior is a valuable piece of information to pass along to the teachers. The REO Program allows the student to decide what happens next. They may choose to return to class. They may choose to speak to a counselor or mentor. They may choose to speak with their administrator, or they may now that it is best that they go home. There is no disciplinary entry made unless the behavior is repeated. The relationship between the student and the teacher is not damaged. The underlying causes that prevent a student from succeeding are often identified, and the school is safer because of this program that supports students and builds strong relationships.

Summary

NYAR PROPOSAL 2024

We greatly enjoyed speaking at the 2023 conference and were actually asked to do an encore performance of the material on a second day. We have updated the information and some of the stories, as well as the stats on the programs we have created to foster resilience in our students. It’s still all about “Family, Love, Respect,” which is posted in nearly every hallway at Mt. View Alternative, just outside of Washington D.C.

We attempt to provide each student with a strong sense of each. Although ours is an alternative high school, filled with stories of trauma, neglect and despair, our students are resilient! With that in mind we have created a number of programs to encourage resilience, provide a healthy path forward, decrease student discipline, and foster student success. All of these programs, and the stories we share detailing what our students have overcome show just how resilient young people can be, and are based upon a trauma informed approach and preventive behavioral interventions. For the purposes of this conference, we will discuss the following three programs and the unprecedented impact they’ve had on student success, as well as the unintended consequence of virtually eliminating incidents of violence in our school.

It is generally expected that disruptive, disrespectful, or defiant behavior by a student during class, or anywhere on campus during the school day, results in some sort of disciplinary action taken against the student. Additionally, an entry into the student’s cumulative file is initiated and becomes a part of the student’s record. The REO (re-entry option) Program was created in response to an overwhelming need to address severe disciplinary referral patterns and the disproportionate impact on students of color. It is rare that the underlying issue that may have precipitated the undesirable behavior is considered, and even rarer that a referral to clinical staff is the response. In the REO program is an intervention designed to be initiated by a teacher who recognizes or experiences a student in pre-crisis or a student a student who believes they need to a safe place to self-regulate to prevent escalating behavior. The student is escorted by a security staff or other staff member to a quiet, comfortable room in the hope that their tension will be reduced. After 10 minutes, the escorting staff member will check on the student. Often times the incident may be traced to a trauma in the student’s life. Identifying the triggers to the student’s behavior is a valuable piece of information to pass along to the teachers. The REO Program allows the student to decide what happens next. They may choose to return to class. They may choose to speak to a counselor or mentor. They may choose to speak with their administrator, or they may now that it is best that they go home. There is no disciplinary entry made unless the behavior is repeated. The relationship between the student and the teacher is not damaged. The underlying causes that prevent a student from succeeding are often identified, and the school is safer because of this program that supports students and builds strong relationships.

We have a position within our school specifically designed to advocate for students who are court involved or on probation. It is the position of School Court Probation Counselor.

The SCPC meets with students and court representatives to set up SMARTR goal with the student for their school and home life the hope that they do not re-offend. The SCPC writes to the courts through the community services board and quite often charges are reduced or eliminated upon learning of compliance with the program.

Similarly, the SIT (Student Intervention Team) tire 1, 2, and 3 level interventions to students who are failing classes, experiencing trauma, or are in need of other services. This team includes administrators, counselors, social workers, school psychologists, and security administrators. We will discuss each tier level intervention and how to organize and maintain each of these programs.

Evidence

We have data showing that >95% of all students participating in the program required any disciplinary consequence and the behaviors were discontinued.

Learning Objective 1

Understanding the affect of trauma on learning and behavior

Learning Objective 2

Understanding the keys to fostering student resilience

Learning Objective 3

Understanding the impact of interventive strategies discussed on student success and school safety

Keyword Descriptors

trauma, resilience, safety, respect, REO

Presentation Year

2024

Start Date

3-6-2024 9:15 AM

End Date

3-6-2024 9:45 AM

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Mar 6th, 9:15 AM Mar 6th, 9:45 AM

A Trauma Responsive Approach to Fostering Resilience, Addressing Equity Issues and Improving Student Wellness and Academic Success

Session Eight

. The REO (re-entry option) Program was created in response to an overwhelming need to address severe disciplinary referral patterns and the disproportionate impact on students of color. It is rare that the underlying issue that may have precipitated the undesirable behavior is considered, and even rarer that a referral to clinical staff is the response. In the REO program is an intervention designed to be initiated by a teacher who recognizes or experiences a student in pre-crisis or a student a student who believes they need to a safe place to self-regulate to prevent escalating behavior. The student is escorted by a security staff or other staff member to a quiet, comfortable room in the hope that their tension will be reduced. After 10 minutes, the escorting staff member will check on the student. Often times the incident may be traced to a trauma in the student’s life. Identifying the triggers to the student’s behavior is a valuable piece of information to pass along to the teachers. The REO Program allows the student to decide what happens next. They may choose to return to class. They may choose to speak to a counselor or mentor. They may choose to speak with their administrator, or they may now that it is best that they go home. There is no disciplinary entry made unless the behavior is repeated. The relationship between the student and the teacher is not damaged. The underlying causes that prevent a student from succeeding are often identified, and the school is safer because of this program that supports students and builds strong relationships.