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A consistent discipline process helps your school run more smoothly.[/caption] Your school's behavior management system must have the proper tools so teachers and administrators can take consistent action when students violate rules. The discipline referral process will be different among elementary, middle, high schools, and institutes of higher education. Establishing a sound discipline referral system isn't easy, because students, parents, teachers, and administrators may all have different opinions about what "good behavior" is. However, if you take the time to establish a relevant, fair discipline referral process and implement it with consistency, the school will run more effectively, and more importantly, the students that behave properly will experience fewer interruptions to their learning due to the actions of unruly students. Here are 5 steps for improving your school's discipline referral process. 1. Define Problem Behaviors as Specifically as Possible What constitutes a behavior violation should be defined in terms of action, motivation, location, whether others are involved, and what the administrative consequences are. Within a school system, specific problem behaviors should be defined and tailored to the individual schools. Some problems only apply to certain students. For example, student parking violations only happen at the high school and higher education levels. All staff should agree on these definitions so that data entry concerning an infraction is always straightforward and not subject to multiple interpretations. 2. Create a Simple, Predictable Process for Handling Behavior Problems When the discipline referral process is known in advance and followed consistently, students, parents, teachers, and administrators know what to expect. The discipline referral system will likely vary based on whether an infraction is considered major or minor, and on whether a student has a record of repeated infractions. For example, some schools escalate cases of more than a threshold number of minor infractions to a major infraction. Spelling out what happens at each stage of the discipline referral process makes it clear to all parties involved. 3. Define Which Behaviors Are Classroom-Managed and Which are Office-Managed The discipline referral process should differentiate between violations that are handled in the classroom by the teacher and those that warrant referral to the principal or vice principal's office. Classroom-managed violations may include things like not being prepared, refusing to work, sleeping, or tardiness. Office-managed violations are generally more serious and would include behaviors like possession of drugs or alcohol, fighting, smoking, vandalism, sexual harassment, or leaving the classroom without permission. Students, parents, teachers, and administrators must all be on the same page as far as knowing what constitutes a behavior violation and what the consequences will be. When infractions are defined and addressed in a consistent manner, the discipline referral process is fairer and more straightforward. Inconsistencies within rules (such as pushing and shoving not counting as fighting, but a thrown punch always counting as fighting) must be addressed so that everyone understands what actions are considered violations and how they will be handled. A student who repeatedly makes minor rules violations can be just as disruptive as a student who violates rules in a more major way. Therefore, it's important for schools to make clear that a series of minor infractions will eventually be escalated to a larger [caption id="" align="alignright" width="400"]
