V IOLENT AND D ISRUPTIVE I NCIDENT R EPORTING (VADIR)

1. VIOLENT ANDDISRUPTIVE INCIDENT REPORTING (VADIR) USING DATA TO IMPROVE SCHOOL CLIMATE

2. Legal Requirements Safe Schools Against Violence in Education (SAVE)-SED should establish a uniform system for reporting of Violent and Disruptive Incidents • ESEA Title IX (Unsafe School Choice Option) & §9532 as amended by NCLB -Student’s right to transfer, where transfer option exists, if school is designated as “persistently dangerous” or if student is victim of violent crime

3. Safe Schools Against Violence in Education (SAVE) • District Wide School Safety Plan • Building Level Emergency Response Plan • Codes of Conduct • Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) Implications • VADIR Report to NYSED • Instruction in Civility, Character Ed, etc. • School Violence Prevention Training • Whistleblower Protection

4. VADIR Reporting • UVIR – Uniform Violent Incident Reporting system • Reporting vehicle: Summary of Violent and Disruptive Incidents • Modifications in Progress

5. Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) • This law amends the New York Education Law to prohibit harassment against students in school, including harassment based on real or perceived race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity and expression) and sex, and to prohibit discrimination based on these same characteristics. The prohibition would apply to all public schools in the state. • Effective July 1, 2012 • Implications for Codes of Conduct & VADIR

6. Use of Data • Data triangulation • Data monitoring • Feedback Loop • Data-driven decisions

7. School Violence Index (SVI) Assigned Weights to Incident Categories Used to compute the School Violence Index (SVI) for schools. Weighted incidents are totaled and then divided by the school enrollment. (Two Category 5’s: 30 + 30 = 60; 60 divided by enrollment) School could be identified as PD for the 2010-11 school year if, for both 2008-09 and 2009-10, it had either: An SVI of 1.5 or greater Or At least 60 serious incidents and an SVI of at least 0.50.

8. Calculating Your SVI(School Violence Index) SVI Calculation for Educationville Middle School • Enrollment = 400 • What is the SVI? • (Category Weight)*(No. of Incidents)=(SVI Points per Category) • Add SVI Points for all Categories. • (Total SVI Points)/Enrollment=SVI • Answer: 1.35

9. IRP: Planning Tool for Positive Climate Proposed Action(s): State program or specific act to be accomplished Desired Result(s): Ideal outcome (i.e. 80% reduction in bullying in comparison to last year) Evaluation Strategy: How do you know program is effective? Focus groups, interviews, surveys, etc. Timeline: Span of program/activity implementation (i.e. September 2010-June 2011) IRP is blueprint for all major programs/activities aimed at creating a safe and drug free atmosphere at the building level

10. Suggestions for Improving School Climate Develop a systems approach to improving school climate. Incorporate Social and Emotional Development and Learning into your overall plan. Equitably enforce a Code of Conduct for the district and building (Education Law-Chapter 16, Title II, Article 55 § 2801. Codes of conduct on school property). Develop district safety plans and building emergency response plans to deal with serious situations and conduct drills, tabletops and functional exercises to increase the level of preparedness. Personalize the school environment. Analyze Violent and Disruptive Incident Reports (VADIR) and other conduct data to provide information regarding pockets of concern that require attention and program strengths that could be replicated. Implement programs and activities that have a proven track record of achieving positive results; Evaluate programs periodically for their effectiveness and potential improvement. Actively involve and engage parents and other community members in addressing issues and concerns. Make sure students, teachers, parents, administrators, and other school staff are aware of warning signs of violence and the need to communicate that to others.

11. Important Resources • VADIR Resources (NYSED P-12 Student Support Services) • http://www.p12.nysed.gov/sss/ssae/schoolsafety/vadir/ • VADIR Reporting (Office of Information and Reporting Services) • http://www.p12.nysed.gov/irs/vadir • Weighted Incident Exemption Process • http://www.p12.nysed.gov/sss/ssae/schoolsafety/vadir/documents/WeightedIncidentExemptionProcess-RelatedVADIR-2010.doc • DRAFT Guidelines for Social Emotional Development and Learning (SEDL) in New York State • http://www.p12.nysed.gov/sss/sedl/DRAFTguidelines.pdf • SAVE Resources, including Code of Conduct • http://www.p12.nysed.gov/sss/ssae/schoolsafety/save/

12. P-12/STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES Laura Sahr lsahr@mail.nysed.gov Linda Gingold Seaman lseaman@mail.nysed.gov Keti Colbert kcolbert@mail.nysed.gov Christine Coxon ccoxon@mail.nysed.gov Carri Manchester cmanches@mail.nysed.gov 518-486-6090 www.p12.nysed.gov/sss/ INFORMATION AND REPORTING SERVICES 518-474-7965DATAQUEST@mail.nysed.gov

13. “Any Questions?”