Procedure 2.1.23 SUPPORTING STUDENT BEHAVIOUR THAT IS VIOLENT AND AGGRESSIVE

Approved: February 15, 2005

Revised: June 20, 2017

June 18, 2019

1.0 Introduction

District School Board Ontario North East recognizes its responsibility in partnership with pupils, their families and community to provide a safe, positive, violence-free learning and working environment. As a collective group, our primary goal is to promote the development of each individual to their fullest potential.

The Principal, subject to the authority of the appropriate Superintendent of Education, is in charge of the instruction and discipline of students in the school and the organization and management of the school. It is the duty of the Principal to ensure a safe, healthy work and learning environment.

The Principal has a duty to investigate all incidents resulting from violent or aggressive acts occurring on school property, at school sponsored events and off school property that are deemed by the Principal to have a significant negative impact on the school. The investigation should include information from the person(s) directly or indirectly involved in the incident.

It is the expectation of District School Board Ontario North East that there be a positive working relationship between a school and its community. This positive relationship serves to foster mutual respect and understanding which alleviates some of the underlying causes of violent behaviours amongst students.

2.0 Definitions of Violence and Assault

Violence is defined as an action or actions, either voluntary or involuntary, which are aggressive in nature and which cause, or have the potential of causing damage or injury.

Assault is defined as the intentional application of force to the person without his/her consent or the attempt by threat, act or gesture to apply force to another if the other believes one has the apparent, present ability to do so.

3.0 Behaviour Management System (BMS) School Teams

Introduction

School administration and staff must be committed to reducing aggression and violence within schools. Principals will ensure that an adequate number of BMS trained staff are available to form a BMS Team, which will support students and staff in crisis management and conflict resolution situations.

It is recommended that the school BMS Team be consulted/involved in incidents of aggressive/violent student behavior. Team members have received training regarding protocols, procedures and roles, as well as in co-ordination and integration of approaches required for managing violent and aggressive student behaviour.

The major principles for utilizing a BMS Team in responding to crisis or critical incidents are:

Safety – BMS teams will assist staff and the aggressive/violent student(s) in managing their behaviour.
Professionalism – Individuals responding to an aggressive/violent student will make every effort to reduce the risk of violence by employing de-escalation strategies. If the use of these strategies is ineffective, support from the BMS Team should be initiated. BMS Team members initially engage in de-escalation techniques, and if warranted, in physical intervention and/or containment.
Witness – BMS Team members are required to participate in post-crisis review and debriefing after each incident.

Selecting the BMS Team

Developing a BMS Team with a minimum of three individuals at a school level must be commenced and/or reinforced in September. The Principal is responsible for submitting the School BMS Team Planning Template (Appendix A) by September 30th of each school year to their respective Superintendent of Education. BMS Teams shall meet four (4) times throughout the school year and/or at the discretion of the Principal. A report of the BMS Team meeting (Appendix B) shall be submitted to the Superintendent of Education with the Special Education portfolio and copied to the Superintendent of Education who supervises the school. Review materials are available for all trained and registered employees online. A link to these materials will be provided to Principals at the beginning of every school year.

The composition of the BMS Team should consist of the following individuals with their associated responsibilities:

Member	Responsibilities
Principal/Vice Principal	Develops and initiates yearly building action plan, delegates responsibilities, coordinates and communicates with BMS Team; communicates with the family, community and staff.
School Staff trained as BMS Practitioners	Participate in yearly training, building an action plan and responds to crisis and/or conflict resolution situations as required.

When selecting the members of a BMS Team, Principals should consider the following personality and characteristics when assembling the group:

Self-motivated, creative, enthusiastic and genuinely interested in working with challenging students;
Self-confident and has strong ties to students in the building (resource teachers/organizes extra-curricular activities);
Fosters and maintains trust with students even when sanctions are imposed;
Flexible views on discipline – interested in managing behaviour versus correcting it immediately;
Strong interpersonal skills and the respect of staff and students;
Copes well with stress and deals well with conflict;
Strong oral and written communication and leadership skills.

Initiating the BMS Team

Getting the BMS Team to converge on the scene of the crisis or intervention in ways that positively influence the resolution of the immediate crisis is vital. Further, it may be important to have the BMS Team prepare to respond to crisis calls in ways, which reflect the level or nature of a crisis. In order to accomplish this without contributing to an escalation of violent behaviour necessitates alternative strategies in summoning members of the BMS Team.

The BMS Team shall be summoned to an incident or crisis at a specific location in a school by announcing, “Mr. Calm, please proceed immediately to room #/area. Mr. Calm to room #/area.”

In any intervention, it is important that one staff member be identified as the BMS Team leader. Establishing roles and corresponding responsibilities are vital for effective communication. Selection of a leader for a ‘crisis’ should be based on a set of principles/qualities. The following principles are provided as a means of assisting you with the selection of a BMS Team leader for each crisis or intervention.

The staff member that arrives at the crisis with the most training and who is centered at the time;
The first staff member who arrives at the scene is considered the team leader;
Although another staff member may have arrived on the scene first, the staff member with the best rapport with the acting-out individual may become either the team leader, or the communicator for this crisis.

Role of the BMS Team Leader

Ensuring the well-being of individuals or students in crisis, while maintaining the safety of all involved, is the goal of the BMS Team leader. The task or responsibility areas that a BMS Team leader is accountable for:

Assessing the situation;
Planning, Directing and Coordinating the intervention;
Cuing, directing and coordinating the team’s response to the situation;
Communicating directly with the individual in crisis (Generally, only the team leader will communicate with the student or individual in crisis), however, in some circumstances, the individual with the best rapport may be directed to communicate with the individual in crisis. This individual may not necessarily be the team leader);
Ensuring the least intrusive intervention is being utilized.

Role of the BMS Team Members

The BMS Team leader is expected to give direction and coordinate the intervention. The remaining team members are to respond to the direction of the team leader and provide any support that is necessary. Specifically, team members should be available to:

Accept direction from the BMS Team leader;
Remove onlookers and secure the area;
Communicate well with other BMS Team members
Respond in accordance with the Physical Intervention/Containment Policy (2.1.21) of District School Board Ontario North East and Behaviour Management Systems training;
Be prepared to assist in containing the individual, if:
The student presents an imminent risk of injury to themselves or others,
All other non-physical interventions have been unsuccessful,
Physical intervention presents less of a risk of injury than the inappropriate behaviour.

Changing BMS Team Leaders

In many crisis situations it may be advantageous to change communicators. The individual with the best rapport is always preferred in attempting to defer volatile situations. During this shift, be certain to:

Explain the switch to the individual in crisis;
Ensure that all team members on-site are aware of the switch; and
Ensure that your team has discussed and practiced this scenario prior to responding to crisis incidents.

4.0 Staff Training Required for Preventing and Responding to Violent Incidents and Aggressive Student Behaviour

Principals will contact their appropriate Superintendent of Education within 48 hours of filing a Violent Incident Form (page 13) as per the Violence Prevention Policy (2.1.7) or a Physical Intervention/Containment Incident Report Form (appendix A) as per the Physical Intervention/Containment Policy (2.1.18).

These procedures deal with the recording of violent incidents or aggressive behaviours and physical interventions and/or containments under two different circumstances:

Those required by the PPM 120 - Reporting Violent Incidents to the Ministry of Education (May 16, 2011). Where by the term violent incident is defined as the occurrence of any one of the following or the occurrence of a combination of any of the following:

- - Possessing a weapon, including possessing a firearm
  - Physical assault causing bodily harm requiring medical attention
  - Sexual assault
  - Robbery
  - Using a weapon to cause or to threaten bodily harm to another person
  - Extortion
  - Hate and/or bias-motivated occurrences

For circumstances described in part (A) above, the incident is to be recorded using:

The Violent Incident Form (Violence Prevention Policy 2.1.7, p. 13), and
A Record of a Police Investigation (Appendix J).
A Physical Intervention/Containment Incident Form and Individual Safety Plan (Appendix A and B of the Physical Intervention/Containment Policy 2.1.21) must be completed if required by policy.

Those violent or aggressive behaviours that do not necessarily result in suspension, expulsion or police involvement (e.g. mitigating circumstances re: age or exceptionality), but nonetheless are indicative of a pattern of aggressive behaviour towards oneself or others.

For circumstances described in part (B) above, the incident is to be recorded in the Student Administrative System. A Record of a Police Investigation (Appendix J), a Physical Intervention/Containment Incident Form and Individual Safety Plan (Appendix A and B of the Physical Intervention/Containment Policy) shall be completed if required by policy.

Violent Incident Form (Violence Prevention Policy, p. 13)

The Violent Incident Report is a summary record of a violent occurrence and/or aggressive behaviour. School personnel must maintain their original investigation notes taken during interviews.

In accordance with District School Board Ontario North East’s Violence Prevention Policy, a Violent Incident Form (Violence Prevention Policy 2.1.7, p. 13) is to be completed by the Principal, Vice-principal or designate for all violent incidents resulting in suspension, expulsion or reports to the police.

Conditions for a student’s return to school will be specified in accordance with school board policies and recorded within a Behaviour Management Plan.

See District School Board Ontario North East’s Violence Prevention Policy (2.1.7) for further information and protocols regarding Violent Incidents. Further information of the use of physical intervention/containment can be found in the District School Board Ontario North East’s Physical Intervention/Containment Policy (2.1.21).

Behaviour Logs

One of the three behaviour logs (Appendices F, G and H), is the form that the Principal shall use to record aggressive behaviour that does not necessarily result in suspension, expulsion or police involvement, but nonetheless are indicative of a pattern of aggressive behaviour towards oneself and/or others.

Behaviour Logs will be stored in the OSR documentation folder for a minimum of 2 years to facilitate grant applications, where applicable.

De-briefing for Positive Growth

Should a situation arise with a student necessitating the use of a physical containment by the BMS Team, staff should plan a debriefing, as per the Physical Intervention/ Containment Policy, once the situation has been resolved to review the factors that lead up to the unsafe behavior. Such a debriefing should include the student and parent where and if appropriate.

Application for Admission Form (Appendix C)

There are a number of issues regarding the registration/transfer of students in mid-year and/or from out-of-board. These include securing sufficient information, prior to the arrival of the Ontario

Student Record about any special needs or the potential for unsafe behaviour before admitting students into classroom situations. Upon consultation with the appropriate Superintendent of Education, student entry to a school may be delayed.

Schools must use the Application for Admission Form (Appendix C) to gather important information about students transferring between District School Board Ontario North East schools or are out-of-Board registrants.

For students registering from inside or outside of District School Board Ontario North East, it is standard practice to interview the parent(s), student(s) and contact the administration of the previous school. A Consent to Disclosure or Transmittal of Information Form, (Appendix D), should be signed by the parent so that the sending school can be contacted. If the student was formally identified through the IPRC process in their prior Board, consider contacting the school Special Education Resource Teacher, area Supervisor of Special Services and/or Coordinator of Special Education.

School Entry Plan and Case Conference (Appendix E)

For students registering from inside or outside of District School Board Ontario North East, who have been recognized with potentially violent or unsafe/aggressive behaviours, or who are returning to school following a suspension/expulsion for significantly violent behaviour, develop a School Entry Plan and hold a case conference.

If there are significant safety concerns or questions about a new registrant, the Principal should:

Have a parent or student sign a Consent to Disclosure or Transmittal of Information Form (Appendix D) so that an administrator from the previous school can discuss any concerns regarding the student’s potential for violent or unsafe behaviour.

If it is determined that there is significant potential for violent or unsafe/aggressive behaviour call a case conference meeting and develop a School Entry Plan (Appendix E).

The principal shall schedule a case conference involving the following people, as appropriate, to develop a School Entry Plan:

If the student is not formally identified:

1. Parent/guardian (if student is under 16 years of age)
2. Student over 16 years of age
3. Classroom teacher
4. Principal/Vice-Principal of ‘sending’ school (where appropriate)
5. Community agency personnel
6. Special Education Team personnel If the student is formally identified, the case conference shall also include:
7. Principal of Special Education, and may include
8. Superintendent of Education responsible for Special Education
9. District Special Education Resource Teacher
10. Special Education Resource Teacher - school

Information gathered at the case conference may include:

1. Identification of the strengths and needs of the student
2. Past and current interventions (e.g. medical, social/emotional)
3. Agency involvement
4. Academic background
5. Social/Emotional Needs (DSBONE Behaviour Logs if available)
6. Effective strategies to address the student’s behaviour
7. Triggers for inappropriate student behaviour
8. Involvement with probation/police as appropriate
9. Parental interventions and prevention strategies
10. Prior/Current IPRC identification
11. Sharing of prior Individual Education Plan

Outcomes of the Entry Plan case conference

1. Timelines (e.g. start date, staggered entry) and timetable
2. Identification of employees requiring additional information/training to address the student’s needs
3. Completion of an Entry Plan
4. Individual Education Plan (informal I. E. P.)

Behaviour Management Plan (Appendix I) - Copy to be filed in the OSR

(to be modified/consistently used throughout the board)

The Behaviour Management Plan shall outline antecedent behaviours, strategies to prevent a violent incident, consequences, resources both human and facility.
Identification of employees requiring information/training to address the student’s needs.
Review of the Individual Education Plan and a revision, as appropriate.
The Principal shall ensure that parent/guardian and Principal sign the Behaviour Management Plan to indicate their awareness and support/agreement with the details of the plan. Non-support of the plan may lead to exclusion of the student until satisfactory resolution is achieved.
The Principal shall convene a meeting of appropriate school staff that will be involved in the delivery of the Behaviour Management Plan.
Where there is a dispute over the particulars and acceptance of the plan, the appropriate Principal of Special Education is to be advised. In addition, the appropriate Superintendent of Education may be contacted.
The student shall not attend school until the Behaviour Management Plan is in place with all the safety considerations implemented.
The Behaviour Management Plan shall be reviewed/revised according to the plan’s specified schedule and when a staff member raises a health and safety concern.