CRISIS PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION

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CRISIS PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION

• Dennis Wiechmann
• Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance
• Sanger Unified School District
• dennis_wiechmann_at_Sanger.k12.ca.us

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Creating Safety via Success
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School Climate/Culture

• Resiliency If a child can establish a
  meaningful relationship with and adult their
  chances of success increase dramatically.
• Placement Use all of the Education Code
  Placement Options. A mix of students provides
  for different peer interaction. Expelled,
  Probation, SARB, other referrals. Who ever does
  placement must be aware of the school climate and
  work to make it successful.

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School Climate/Culture

• Purpose The students must have a purpose and
  believe that it is obtainable. The purpose can
  vary depending upon the program.
• Uniforms If all of the students look the same
  the students begin to realize that they have more
  similarities than differences.

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School Climate/Culture

• Open Climate The students must feel like they
  are important and that everyone on the staff
  cares. Take the time to listen. If they did not
  have problems they would not be with you.
• Cameras A video system is an external
  monitoring device that causes students to think
  twice about how they act. This is like
  establishing a habit. If they get use to thinking
  before they act, over time it will become second
  nature.

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School Climate/Culture

• Staffing, Staffing, and Staffing If you are
  forced to take transfers to your school from
  other schools and they do not want to be with you
  - good luck. All the staff must have a heart,
  patience, and willing to give 100. How the
  staff treats the students will dictate how your
  students act.

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Curriculum and InstructionInstructional
Leader/Support

• 360 minute instructional day This should be
  considered a positive. On average the CDS
  student will spend over 32,000 more instructional
  minutes in an academic setting per year than
  other alternative education program. Their
  chances of successful academic reintegration
  increase greatly.
• Staffing The teacher needs to be able to
  deliver the instruction using several different
  modalities. They need to have a base
  understanding of all curriculum areas. They also
  need to be able to structure and monitor various
  self directed study periods.

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Curriculum and InstructionInstructional
Leader/Support

• Curriculum, Curriculum, Curriculum CDS students
  are entitled to the same material and programs
  that the comprehensive schools use.
• Technology The CDS students are also entitled
  to technology. Many of these students actually
  do better using computers and computer based
  programs. The staff should build this into their
  instructional day.

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Curriculum and InstructionInstructional
Leader/Support

• Incompatible Behaviors This is a fancy term to
  demonstrate that if a student is actively engaged
  in learning, it is impossible for them to not
  learn. Additionally, if they are engaged in
  learning the discipline problems in the classroom
  will decrease. It is a simple solution to a big
  problem.
• Support Staff Access to counseling and
  psychological services is extremely important.
  In most of the cases I have processed, there are
  multiple barriers to the students success. A
  good counselor or psychologist can be an
  important component to success. Build it into
  the day.

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Psychological/Behavioral Strategies

• High Expectations The expectations for these
  students should be higher than those for students
  at a comprehensive campus. Set the bar, they
  will limbo. Post them and make sure everyone
  knows what they are.
• Response Cost System The students love this.
  Identify the problem (profanity). Each student
  gets 5 tickets per day. If they use profanity
  they lose a ticket. At the end of the day the
  students put their tickets in a jar. At the end
  of the week draw for a prize.

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Psychological/Behavioral Strategies

• Meaningful Consequences If you are going to use
  consequences, they need to be meaningful. This
  will depend upon the student. A student on
  probation does not want to go back to boot-camp.
  A high school student may not want to be referred
  to the County Program.
• Classroom Management This is the first line of
  defense. The students need to understand the
  rules and the teacher needs to have the tools to
  control the classroom. If they do not, the
  students will.

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Psychological/Behavioral Strategies

• Video Monitoring If the airports use it, why
  not you? This is an effective behavioral
  management tool. For many of our students it
  buys them an extra 3 seconds. This can be the
  difference between the right choice and
  expulsion.
• Training Train your staff. Crisis Prevention
  and Intervention (CPI) is an outstanding program.
  Prevent the problem before it occurs.

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Community

• Involve Others
• Police Activities League
• Rotary
• Parks and Recreation
• Police Department - The more friendly visits, the
  better.
• City and County
• Workforce Investment Agency.

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Community

• You should not do it alone. These are the
  Community children. If a successful program is
  not developed these are the students who will
  drop out, stay in the area, and repeat the cycle
  with their children. So invest to make the
  community a better place now and in 10 years.