SI&A Cabinet Report – Class and school environment often overlooked in confronting behavior problems

Class and school environment often overlooked in confronting behavior problems
By Lee Funk
Monday, October 08, 2012

It is a scene that plays out in classrooms across the nation every day – a willful student repeatedly disregards a teacher’s warning about misconduct and eventually is sent to the principal’s office. If the pattern is repeated enough, the student gets suspended and perhaps later expelled.

If the student is disabled, districts are required under federal law to have an Individualized Education Plan team determine if the behavior was a manifestation of the disability and if the placement and services were in line with the prescribed plan. Many times, the district may undertake the further expense of developing an intervention plan that may entail ongoing consultation with outside experts.

Yet, throughout all of this engagement – all the time and money spent evaluating the student’s behavior and the analysis of options – rarely does the administration take a closer look at the student’s environment and the potential for the classroom or teacher contribution to the problem.

“There’s often a knee-jerk reaction to disciplinary problems where suspensions or expensive interventions are seen as the best options,” said Dr. Lee Funk, a former superintendent and nationally known expert in special education 

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