Riley Elementary School Principal JoAnn Blevins says last year was tough. The traditional ways to correcting and responding to misbehavior were not successful at the grade school in Great Bend.

Riley served 98 out-of-school suspensions during the 2017-2018 school year and one expulsion. Blevins admitted that the entire staff struggled in helping students overcome barriers to learning.

The beginning of this school year, Riley implemented a trauma-responsive three-year plan.

JoAnn Blevins Audio

Riley organized a “trauma team” that consists of 11 members, of either teachers or classified staff. The team meets monthly to learn about trauma and how to respond once they see it from students.

Blevins says teachers tend to discipline students the way they were disciplined as a child. Data shows this approach is not working. Blevins added the number one goal at Riley this year is to build better relationships with the students.

JoAnn Blevins Audio

Blevins estimated Riley has already prevented 10 out-of-school suspensions with the new method of interventions and understanding the students’ trauma.

Riley also opened a student center where children that are misbehaving or disrupting the classroom can go, reregulate, and talk about why they are behaving in such a manner. The student can still keep up with his or her school work while taking a break from the class, and the classroom proceeds as normal without the disruption.