Metz Middle School

Metz Middle SchoolStudent Safety, Discipline &

Learning

March 8, 2016

Kim Buckheit, Principal

Metz Middle School

Metz Middle School:

PrideStrength of CharacterExcellence in Learning

2

Metz Middle School

• Safe school climate• Small learning communities• Positive adult relationships• Engaged learning• Positive role models• Honoring and respecting student voices• Facilitating social and emotional growth• Student roles in decision making• Emotionally meaningful curriculum• Higher order thinking strategies integrated into all subject areas• Expressive arts activities for all students• Health and wellness focus

Armstrong, Thomas. 2006. The Best Schools: How Human Development Research Should Inform Educational Practice, ASCD

3

Middle School Academic Foundation Principles

Metz Middle School

• Emotional • Peer relationships of utmost importance• Self-conscious and highly sensitive to criticism of

perceived personal shortcomings• Developing sense of identity, struggling with where

they “fit” within other social circles (school, family, extra-curricular teams and groups)

• Strong sense of fairness and justice• Eager to learn when they see relevance to their life

“This We Believe” Association of Middle Level Educators position paper4

Middle School13 & 14 Year Old Students

Metz Middle School

Metz counselors, teachers and administrators engage in the mediation of social media conflicts daily as they have the potential to influence school conduct.

• 75% of students have a smartphone, 30% have a basic phone and only 12% have no phone.

• 94% of students report being on-line daily with 24% indicating they are online “almost constantly.”

• A typical teen sends and receives 30 text messages a day.• Girls engage in visually oriented social media; Instagram, Snapchat,

Pinterest, Facebook.• Boys play video games both on their smartphone, 84%, and on

gaming devices, 91%.Pew Research Center, Release April 9, 2015 “Teens, Social Media & Technology Overview 2015”.

Mental health concerns often begin to emerge during this age span and can manifest as school refusal, self-harm or misconduct.

Dealing with the loss of a parent, family member, or peer.5

Emotional Challenges

Metz Middle School

• September – 1 fight• October – 5 fights• November – 4 fights• December – 3 fights• January – 1 fight and 1 assault• February – 1 fight and 3 assaults 6

2015-16 School Year (108 school days)Physical Altercations by Month & Type

Fight = Mutual shoving, wrestling, or other physical action during which parties attempt to cause injury to each other or which could result in injury to either party, bystanders or school property.

Assault = The willful initiation of physical violence toward a person not seeking or attempting to avoid a physical confrontation.

2015-16 MCPS Student Code of Conduct

Metz Middle School

• 31 of our 1, 049 students have been involved in a physical altercation this year.

• 29 out of the 31 students have not had a repeat physical altercation.

• 97% of the student body has had no occurrences.

7

2015-16 School Year (108 school days)Break Down of Occurrences by Number of Students Involved

Metz Middle School

• Proactive practices are: • Established processes and procedures communicated

to students and staff

• Monitored processes and expectations

• Consistent, pervasive, and implemented with fidelity

• Reactive practices are:• Collecting and monitoring whole school & student

data

• Revising processes according to situations and data

• Immediate reaction and adjustment to processes and procedures

8

Metz Safe School Practices

Metz Middle School

• Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) -instruction for staff and students of expected school conduct.

• Development and implementation of School Counseling Plan.

• School counselors and administrators conduct a re-admission meeting following every suspension; students develop a contract for positive conduct.

• Counselors support students (Anti-bully classroom lessons,small and large groups, individual student guidance,parent/student counseling support).

• Counselors, Therapeutic Day Treatment (TDT) Counselors andadministrators work collaboratively to assist students andfamilies in need.

• Individual student safety plans developed by schoolcounselors, as needed.

9

Proactive Practices

Metz Middle School

• Procedures for students - locker use times, cell phone storage, hallway transitions.

• Staff responsibilities - supervised hallway transitions, assigned staff supervision duties.

• School Resource Officer (SRO) and Student Support Officer (SSO) provide daily supervision and support for students.

• Upgrade video surveillance system through the Capital Improvement Plan (replacement of 28 camera system to a 110 camera system).

• Preparation for SY2017: Extensive planning with Metz leadership team and staff for 2016-17 daily schedule and restructure to return to middle level practices.

10

Proactive Practices, cont.

Metz Middle School

• Met with all students (focus on learning, responsibility to self and school community)

• Addition of a third TDT counselor

• 15 minute reduction of teacher planning time to increase hallway supervision

• Disciplinary Probation Contract for Tier 3, high need students

• “NetSmartz” social media presentation to students on 3/16 & 3/17, Presenter: SA Joan Hoback, Secret Service Liaison to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

• Parent “NetSmartz” workshop on 3/14

• Increase in counseling group sessions for students

• “Tip Line” added to MCPS mobile app and webpage

• Additional part time SRO to work between Metz and Mayfield (in progress)

11

Reactive Measures

Metz Middle School

Metz Middle School:

PrideStrength of CharacterExcellence in Learning

12