2025-2026

Barney Ford Discipline Plan

Mission: Barney Ford Elementary exists to provide an equitable and excellent education so that students meet or exceed district and state standards.

Vision: Barney Ford students are college and career ready. Barney Ford consists of high performing leaders, teachers and students that contribute to our school, community, and world.

Foundation of the Plan

At Barney Ford, we believe:

• School should be a physically and emotionally safe place for learning and prosocial development for all students at all times.  
• A positive student culture exists when we develop authentic relationships with each student, create clear and consistent schoolwide routines, teach age-appropriate social-emotional learning, and, when needed, use firm but kind discipline with an emphasis on restorative practices and therapeutic interventions.  
• When interventions are needed, instructional time should be maximized to minimize racial and socio-economic disparities.  Whenever possible, discipline interventions should focus on therapeutic and restorative approaches that build a sense of responsibility, empathy, and teach lagging skills.
• Discipline should be proactive and responsive to student needs, not reactive.  Disciplinary action should be aimed at helping students build skills, and increase social-emotional learning.
• The baseline of discipline in the classroom is teachers building relationships with students and between students.  Students will best be able to build these relationships with each other and with the teacher when there are clear expectations, predictable routines, and good communication throughout the classroom.  
• Even in the most clear, organized, and nurturing of classrooms, behavior issues can arise.  It is important to plan for this, and to have ways within the classroom to respond to behavior issues.
• Acting out by a student does not indicate that s/he does not want to learn or is unmotivated. It signals a disconnect in meeting a student’s needs, either in the moment (e.g. confusion, lack of confidence, or lack of access to the material) or as a result of previously unmet needs (e.g. tiredness, missing a meal, peer conflict or something upsetting that happened at home).

Please note: This plan has been developed in compliance with, and based upon DPS Administrative Regulation JK-R and Article 18 of the DCTA contract. When student behaviors require appropriate, more immediate interventions or when considering implementation of this policy, DPS policy will be used as a baseline for the determination of appropriate actions.

Helpful Links

• DPS Discipline Matrix
• DPS Discipline Ladder
• Restorative Practice Interventions
• Student Support Plan
• Ladder of Consequences 2024-2025
• Discpline Plan PD Part 2

Responding to Student Behaviors

Behavior Support Strategies

Proactive Strategies

It is important that we see behavior issues as opportunities to learn and to continue to meet our mission by meeting students’ needs, despite the reality that they are challenging and cause stress for teachers.  Below are several strategies staff should use to promote positive behavior.  If needed, seek out the support of your supervisor.

• Relationships: All staff should make every effort to develop personal, authentic relationships with each of their students.  Teachers should do so in a culturally responsive manner.
• Trauma-Informed Practices (TIP):  Teachers are grounded in TIP through the district’s three modules.
• Equity Experience Modules: Teachers should participate in the district-provided professional development around equity to build a better understanding of supports that can be brought into the classroom.
• Restorative Practices 101: District-provided training that is offered to all staff.
• De-Escalation Training: District-provided training that is offered to all staff.
• Teach Like a Champion 3.0 Techniques:  Teachers should incorporate the TLAC techniques to run an organized, efficient, and structured classroom environment.
• Celebrating Positive Behavior: Teachers should provide opportunities to frequently recognize students using a class-based approach by which students are recognized and celebrated for positive individual behaviors.
• Adult SEL Skills: Reflecting on and bringing awareness to your own implementation of the skills and strategies as a model for the students in your classroom.
• Learning Cycles: Participation in learning cycles with a focus on the LE indicators to collaboratively plan for and implement goals to improve classroom culture, community, and management.
• Rewards and Incentives: Classes can/should include a way to earn “group points” toward a class award.  Group points are most effective when points are most often awarded and rarely or never taken away from the entire class.  
• Parent-Teacher Home Visits: Teachers are encouraged to conduct one PTHVs per student per year to deepen relationships and build trust.
• Engaging Instruction: Joyful, rigorous, and personalized instruction that is thoughtfully planned and prepared.
• Clear and Consistent Routines and Procedures: Our students thrive in calm, respectful, and predictable learning environments.
• Peace Circles/Morning Meetings: When appropriate, teachers should lead Peace Circles and Morning Meetings to address topics and/or concerns.
• Mindfulness: A mindful minute or other brain breaks can be used by teachers.
• Class Dojo: Class Dojo is one way to recognize student behavior and communicate with parents.  
• Parent Communication: Teachers should communicate with parents personally, with a phone call, text, or email to build trust and rapport early and often.
• Self- Awareness: All staff should take steps to reflect on their own biases and triggers to prevent conflict with students.  In addition, staff is encouraged to be intentional about self-care throughout the year.

Once the teacher knows her or his students, an additional preventative measure that can be undertaken is to learn and be aware of the antecedent behaviors that students have and to work to correct these behaviors before they result in behavior escalation.  Teachers should be aware of ways in which specific students best respond, but should also generally practice the following:

• Calm voice
• Awareness that direct callout may escalate students
• Clear directives with restated expectations
• Redirection to correct behavior
• Teaching replacement behaviors to students
• Framing that student can choose to correct behavior, and clarifying the choice that the student can make (e.g. “You may choose to sit in your chair or on the floor.”)
• Use “if/then” statements

TSEL Instruction

At Barney Ford, Transformational Social-Emotional Learning (TSEL) instruction is rooted in teaching, practicing, and embodying the Ford Habits of Character and Habits of Scholarship.

These Habits provide us with a common language and set of consistent behaviors throughout the school. We see these Habits posted throughout the building, referred to during Morning Motivation, integrated into after-school programming, and shared with families.

Explicit Tier 1 TSEL instruction is embedded in the daily part of classroom instruction. Teachers should use the DPS-provided slides to teach these skills.. These slides include the three signature TSEAL practices of Warm Welcome, Engage, and Optimistic Closure. Teachers can adjust the activities and topics of the daily slides to meet the emerging SEL needs in their classrooms.

Habit instruction is embedded throughout the day through:

• Adults modeling the Habits
• Developing strong relationships with students & staff
• Providing equitable access to the curriculum
• Talking about all emotions
• Using vocabulary from TSEL slides, and word wall
• Promoting discourse using:

-Group work

-Discussions

-Dialogue

-Partner work

-Student work

• Student self-assessment
• Student reflection

Our Behavior Coaches and ILT support teachers with TSEAL and Habit instruction through PD, modeling, co-facilitating lessons, helping with planning, and coaching.

In-the-Moment Responses to Behaviors

• For most students, a proactive approach will work.  However, there are students for whom further actions will be needed.  Sometimes this is due to repeated or uncorrected behaviors, and sometimes this is the result of severe or extreme behaviors. These behaviors can also be a result of inconsistent classroom management practices.

• As soon as inappropriate behavior is exhibited, teachers should attempt to correct the behavior using the classroom ladder of consequences to be determined by the individual teacher and/or grade level team.
• Teachers should use a variety of de-escalation strategies whenever possible to help students regulate and get back on track in the least invasive manner possible.
• Loss of recess should NOT be a part of the ladder of consequences. If loss of recess is considered, clearly communicate this with the recess monitors.

In-class Behavior Response Action Steps

1. Start off with being aware of your and your student's anxieties or agitation so you can redirect negative behavior.

a. Are you in a space to interact positively with this student?

b. If yes, go to step 2.

c. If not, take a deep breath and reassess

2. What might be impacting this student in the moment and how can I support them?

a. walking by the student slowly and calmly, gently touching them on the shoulder, pointing to their paper, or b. asking if they have any questions.

3. Remind the student of important de-escalation strategies

a. Use Words (request a break)

b. Zones of Regulation Tools

c. Take space in a calming area (cozy corner, library)

d. Take Deep Breaths

e. Count to 10

f. Lay head on desk

g. Drinking 4 oz. of water

4. Redirect students to a space away from others if they are impacting other students’ learning.
5. If aggressive behavior occurs, call for support.
6. If aggressive behavior continues, calmly tell students to begin the exit plan procedure.
7. Parents must be contacted by the teacher who was with the student when the escalation occurred and by the behavior coaches or admin team when appropriate consequences will be enforced.
8. If a student threatens to harm him/herself, to harm others, or engages in sexualized behavior, inform the response team member immediately.  These are situations that require a specific response from the school.  In each case, students may not be left alone for any amount of time.

Follow-Up Actions

Teacher:

• If disruptive behaviors are widespread and distracting significantly from the classroom environment, the teacher should consult with her/his instructional coach and/or the MTSS coordinator regarding re-setting class culture and expectations, and potentially revamping systems and structures to better meet student needs.

• In cases of less extreme individual behavior problems, teachers should consult with team members, instructional coach, behavior coaches,  MTSS coordinator, and/or parents to outline clear expectations for students as well as develop commensurate strategies to help students meet expectations.

• In cases of repetition of less extreme behaviors without appropriate response to teacher intervention and redirection, teachers should contact parents as soon as possible to both explain the situation and enlist parent help in correcting behaviors. ILT and admin should also be consulted to help address repeated behavior.

• In any case of severe/extreme behavior, the teacher should contact parents as soon as possible, and before the end of the school day to describe what happened and to consult with or inform parents of next steps.  Parents should be seen as allies in helping to build toward better behavior.

• Teachers are responsible for documenting Type One behaviors in the IC Conference Tab within 24-hours. Teachers should also document all conversations with caregivers.

MTSS Coordinator/Staff: (this may include school administration when acting in an MTSS capacity)

MTSS Coordinator/staff will assist teachers in developing Tier II and Tier III behavior plans for students who continue to exhibit disruptive/unsafe behaviors.  See section MTSS Process for more information

MTSS Coordinator/staff will contact parents to arrange meetings between teachers, parents, students, admin, and/or MTSS Coordinator to put Tier II, Tier III plans into place for students

MTSS Coordinator will help collect and utilize data to track high-needs student behaviors, students of concern, and progress of Tier II plans toward correcting behavior.  MTSS Coordinator will share data with the Principal monthly, and communicate short and long-term progress and needs at this time.

MTSS Coordinator will work with the principal/admin team to provide professional development when necessary for staff when necessary..  

Principal or Assistant Principals:

In cases of severe/extreme/repeated behaviors, the principal will make determination of whether a student should be held out of the classroom, placed in in-school suspension (ISS), or suspended from school as in accordance with the DPS Discipline Matrix.  

From DPS policy JK-R: 1-6 Discipline of Students in ECE through Third Grades:

A. No student in grades ECE through three shall be subject to expulsion from Denver Public Schools, except for the possession of a firearm as provided by federal law. Suspensions from school for students in these grades shall be reserved for the most severe offenses impacting staff and student safety. Escalation of the discipline ladder for recurring Type 1, 2 or 3 offenses shall not apply to students in ECE-3rd grade. Students in these grades are also not subject to identification as “habitually disruptive.”

Teachers, MTSS coordinator or staff, or Admin team members can and should bring any concerns about specific students to the principal.

If a student is to be held out of class, the Principal/Admin will either create or enlist appropriate parties to create:

• timeline and requirements for the student’s return

-may include restorative actions

-may include student-specific project or action

• plan for work completion and supervision for student
• opportunity for a meeting between the student, parent(s) or guardian(s), teacher, and other appropriate staff
• specific follow up actions

Principal or Administrators will also create an “Emergency Safety Plan” for any student who needs immediate, clear expectations and limitations due to unsafe or repeated behaviors.

Note: at no time should students be “brought to the office” as a punishment.  If student behavior needs immediate attention from the principal or other support staff, please call the office to request support.

Universal De-escalation and Crisis Plan (When (and before) a student is in Crisis, follow this plan!)

Proactive Steps (Avoid a Crisis): Academic Differentiation, proactively following behavior and intervention plans,

focus on a single behavior for modification, frequent movement and brain breaks, social-emotional differentiation,

positive verbal praise: “How does it feel to have a safe body?”

Reactive/Responsive (Responding to Crisis):  It is necessary to offer students assistance in overcoming the social and emotional barriers to achieve academic success and educational goals. Although a crisis is usually viewed as a danger, we can view it as an opportunity to help students become mature human beings.

A crisis may be related to family, medical, or academic stressors. A student who is tearful, agitated, disoriented, withdrawn, hostile, or enraged may be showing warning signs of being in crisis.

Behavior Coach Response Process

1. All in-class behavior interactions should be documented by the teacher in “Type One Intervention” within the “Conference Tab” by the teacher, and the teacher should communicate with parents once behavior has continued past one or two redirections, or if more severe behavior occurs in class.
   
2. Before an office call is made:

1. Teacher should recognize that calling for an outside respondent:

1. May damage teacher’s opportunity to build relationship with a student
2. May send student the message that teacher cannot handle the behavior (removal of teacher’s power)
3. May send students the message that they are unwelcome in the community
4. May lead to a resolution that does not match with teacher’s intention
5. Will require teacher to follow up with student

2. Teacher should use multiple redirection strategies with student (at least 3, unless student is already escalated)

3. When an office call is made:

1. The response team’s primary role is to de-escalate students with the aim of getting them back to learning as soon as possible.  
2. Response team members are encouraged to keep students in the classroom as much as possible.
3. Teachers are encouraged to work with struggling students while the respondent monitors class.
4. For any student who is removed from the classroom, the teacher must contact parents to follow up.  Teachers are encouraged to make contact before the end of the school day, but must make contact before leaving for the day.
5. Re-Entry – Response team members will bring students back and provide a quick summary of what took place. Please communicate with response team staff members which of the following methods is desired prior to students re-entering the classroom:

1. Quick “welcome back” check in to share strategies used to bring a student back to a place where he/she is able to coexist in the classroom with others, and check to see what else the class needs to be able to receive the student.
2. Responder manages class for up to 5 minutes for a Teacher/Student Restorative Approach conversation

 iii.                        Schedule a time to have a Restorative Approach conversation with WRT members present (lunch, recess, specials, morning meeting, etc.)

6. Respondents will record incidents in IC for behavior tracking.

4. Restoring/Maintaining Community:

1. End of Day/Community circle/Reflection Circle- Please have a talking piece for this in order for each student to have a chance to express feelings and or wonderings about a particular incident or situation. This is a time to discuss ways to keep classroom culture positive for all students, especially students needing extra support.
2. Please touch base with a behavior coach or Admin if you would like support with your reflection/community circle

5. For ongoing/escalating/repeated behavior concerns:

1. Teachers should consult with ILT and the MTSS coordinator. A member of the MTSS or admin team will contact the teacher as soon as possible.
2. The MTSS team may make plans (with teacher input) to support or provide behavior intervention for students.

6. Walkie Response Team Resolution Communication

When an individual from the WRT responds to a call, they will document the call in the response team tracker.

The person who completed the form will be responsible for sharing that information with appropriate staff (homeroom, teachers who should know, specials teachers to whom the response applies, and admin), so they are aware of the response, strategies used, and/or other staff who may have intervened as well, and then share strategies that work, preferred staff, and/or develop a more comprehensive plan to respond to student behaviors.

MTSS Process for Behavior Support

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support refer to the array of interventions that can be put into place to support students with academic or behavioral needs.  

The MTSS process for Behavior is meant to help students grow the skills they need to regulate their own behavior.  This is done in several ways:

Tier I interventions are the systems, structures, and expectations that we set up in our classroom.  These are designed to help all of our students experience a calm, predictable environment, and include the ways of working with students mentioned in the “proactive strategies” section. Without having Tier I strategies strongly in place, we can expect widespread behavior and learning problems. Statistics show that strong Tier I can be expected to impact about 80% of students.

If teachers are struggling with Tier I, they should speak to their instructional coach and/or the MTSS coordinator for help and ideas.

Tier II  interventions are for students who are not responding well or consistently enough to Tier I, Tier II intervention may be required.  When a student has exhibited repeated behavior difficulties in Tier I, additional support may help him/her to function well within the classroom.  Without additional support, or without using these supports with fidelity, we can expect to see the same behaviors continue.  Statistics show that about 15% of students will require and will respond well to Tier II support.

Students who require Tier II intervention will receive a behavior plan.

If teachers feel that a student needs Tier II behavior support, they should talk to the MTSS coordinator or the STL/Admin who oversees their grade level for further help.

Tier III interventions apply to the smaller number of students (statistically around 5%) who do not respond to Tier II interventions. Tier III interventions consist of highly customized and individualized interventions and require a high level of support and instruction. Tier III interventions are typically delivered on an individual basis due to their high degree of specificity. For example, if a student has trouble with physical aggression and does not respond to Tier I interventions or Tier II interventions (like the behavior plan mentioned above), the student may be placed on a Tier III custom-made and unique behavior plan specifically made to address the exact triggers and behaviors they are demonstrating. Tier III interventions are generally not pre-made and cannot usually be used for multiple students due to the fact that they address specific behaviors of a particular student in a particular place and time. Tier III interventions will employ the use of an extensive functional behavior assessment to help form and shape interventions as well as other scales and assessments. Completion of some of these assessments, including the FBA require parent consent and are developed with the mental health team.

Students who require Tier III interventions will be served by the MTSS coordinator, the SpEd team, the Mental Health Team, and others.  Determination of the need for Tier III support will only be made after at least 10 weeks of two different Tier II plans and extensive data collection.