Jorge O. Elorza
Mayor
Christopher N. Maher
Superintendent
/ / Providence Public School District
Student Affairs Office
182 Thurbers Avenue
Providence, RI 02905-3301
Tel. 401.456-9293
Fax 401. 456-0662
www.providenceschools.org

Memorandum

To: Providence School Board

From: Roxanne Archibald, Director of Student Affairs

cc: Mr. Christopher N. Maher, Superintendent of Schools

Mr. Joseph DiPina Jr., Chief of Administration

Ms. Yvonne Graf, School Board Policy advisor

Date: 9/13/2017

Re: School Board Presentation – Student Affairs Office

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Overview

This memorandum will serve as an attached document to the School Board presentation on the Student Affairs Office scheduled for September 13, 2017. It provides context for the work of the Student Affairs Office.

The Student Affairs Office (SAO) has jurisdiction over the following areas within the Providence School Department. These areas include: Truancy, Truancy Courts w/in the Schools Program, Student disciplinary hearings, Home School, Student Work Permits, A-Venture Alternative Education Program, Residency Verification, Student Records Requests and the Central Records Office.

The Student Affairs Office is designed around providing at-risk students and their families intervention services and remediation rather than using punitive measures The Director of Student Affairs oversees student support services which are vital to Providence students and their families.

The Student Affairs Office works closely with all Providence Public School employees, Providence Legal Department, community agencies, Providence Police, RI Family Court, and Providence parents to assist in educating Providence children to become productive members of society. All Student Affairs proceedings are conducted in a legal and positive manner adhering to the civil and due process rights of all parties.

SAO Supporting Professionals

The Director of Student Affairs oversees all programs and services for SAO and the Central Records Office. The Student affairs Office employs the following certified personnel: Five (5)

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Attendance Officers: Four (4) Truancy Officers/Social Workers and one (1) Teacher, who handle truancy issues, one (1) Social Worker who is assigned to conduct disciplinary hearings, one (1) part time school psychologist and (2) part time Social Workers to conduct Alternative Education Intake & Exits, one (1) 504 Teacher Assistant, two (2) Bilingual Paraprofessionals who translate and interpret Spanish and Cambodian for non–English speaking families/students, one (1) Secretarial Assistant to the SAO Director, two (2) SAO Clerks, and one (1) Central Records Clerk.

Student Affairs Office Program

The Student Affairs Office is focused on advocating for student success. The department supports schools in obtaining high academic achievement, providing professional development for its staff and developing prevention and intervention strategies for parents and at-risk students. This is accomplished by building partnerships with community agencies. Resources are provided for students, school staff, parents, and concerned citizens who may notice that these at-risk students may need guidance. The services and programs that fall under SAO include:

1.  SAO student disciplinary hearings and out of school suspensions

2.  Alternative education program: A-Venture

3.  School truancy

  1. RI Family Courts Within the Schools Program (four/five school sites)
  2. RI Family Court petitions and summons for habitual truants
  3. The Central Records Office
  4. Student Working Permits (youth age 14-17)
  5. Home School
  6. Residency Verification
  7. SAO Director/District Keeper of the Records-School Subpoena Requests & Record Requests
  8. SAO/RI Foundation High School Scholarship Fund
  9. Student Affairs professional development activities
  10. School Support Staff Teacher Evaluation Process
  11. Monthly DCYF/RI Training School Meetings for Providence youth re-entering PSD

Goals

The three main goals of the Student Affairs Office are the following:

·  Increase student achievement through comprehensive intervention plans to modify and/or remedy negative behavior related to school attendance and student behavior.

·  Create a capacity within the system to support and nurture a continuous learning environment focused on teaching and learning.

·  Strengthen Parent and Public Engagement

SAO Vision

·  SAO is a dynamic department that actively responds to meet the needs of its constituents. It provides positive opportunities for resolving negative student behaviors by forming

partnerships within the school community. The focus of the SAO program is to improve

and increase for all Providence students.

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·  SAO works collaboratively with other educational and social institutions to provide services which will meet the diverse needs of all students and families in the Providence community.

·  SAO Director understands the value of professional development. She will actively provide the resources necessary to prepare the SAO staff for the next two years through appropriate allocation of funds and release time to develop and attend professional development opportunities as it relates to the department’s goals.

·  As a result of the SAO program, members of the Providence community will be provided with the necessary tools they need to deal with an everchanging world. The Student Affairs Office takes ownership of its informative needs, professional development, and role in today’s society.

·  To be more effective in my role as Director of Student Affairs, home school was transferred to the Multiple Pathways Office effective September 13, 2017, under Teaching & Learning.

SAO Major Initiatives/Successes:

1.  Work closely with schools to reduce the number of suspensions and exclusions by providing alternative ways to reduce discipline problems and to effectively deal with student offenses that violate the District’s Code of Conduct Policy in Grades K-12 by being proactive to the schools, students, and their families.

2.  Develop a collaboration of services with the A-Venture Alternative Education Program by providing educational services, counseling, family support, and low teacher-student ratio to those students who are excluded and/or transitionally placed from school.

3.  Link families to outside agencies within the community for intervention strategies.

4.  Continue to work with Rhode Island Family Court to establish Family Truancy Courts within a school setting to reduce statewide truancy rates by holding truants and their families accountable for the violation of statewide statutes with goals of intervention and treatment.

5.  Working on PSD Student Code of Conduct Policy

6.  Working on PSD Student Attendance Policy

  1. The reorganization of the Central Records Office. Supervision and operation of the Central Records Office is a major responsibility that centers on the pertinent student information and confidentiality of student school records in grades PK-12, high school transcripts, and knowledge of PR & Health Card procedures and policies. A complete student records digital document imaging conversion system was implemented for all existing inactive student records stored in the basement at the Central Records Office along with a document management solution for storage and retrieval of the digital student records.
  2. The Central Records Office moved from the basement of 379 Washington Street to first floor to provide the public with greater accessibility to request inactive student records.

Mandates

Mandates are policies and procedures which are required of the Student Affairs Office.

Legal mandates are mandates that are required by law. Such mandates would appear in Federal, state, or local statutes. Regulatory mandates are mandates that appear in the rules or policies of

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the PSD and are included with procedures rather than policies. These mandates include the following:

·  Title 16 R.I. Education Law – Compulsory Attendance

·  PSD Student Code of Conduct Policy

·  PSD Student Discipline Policy

·  Student Affairs Office Procedures for Discipline & Truancy

·  PSD School Attendance Policy

·  Rhode Island General Education Law Title 16

Ø  Title 16-21 Health & Safety of Pupils

Ø  16-21-21 Student Discipline Codes

Ø  16-21-21.1 Zero Tolerance Offenses

Ø  16-21-27 Alternative Education Programs

Ø  Title 16-19-5 Work Certificates

SAO Stakeholders

These individuals have a direct interest in the SAO program or will make decisions which affect the program’s ability to fulfill its mission. There are three categories of stakeholders:

·  Direct stakeholders include those groups who use the Student Affairs Office services and programs and those who work within the Providence School Department. This group benefits directly from the SAO program. The Chief of Administration, RI Family Court, Rhode Island Foundation, Providence Public Schools, Special Education Department, PSD Alternative Education Program, PSD Transportation Department, PSD Placement & Registration, PSD/City Legal Department, building level administrators, school counselors, students, and their families. SAO staff are involved in coordinating or providing the SAO services to the significant population.

·  Administrative stakeholders (District Office) who may or may not use the SAO services. This group has been identified as the PSD School Board, Superintendent of Schools, Chief Academic Officer, Chief of Transformation, Chief of Finance, Chief of Human Capital of Human Resources, Executive Directors, school support teams, and Institute for the Study & Practice of Nonviolence.

·  Indirect stakeholders are people or groups who may benefit from the services of the Student Affairs Office. Members of this group include parents of the students, teachers, community agencies, DCYF, The RI Training School, Providence Police Department, & Department of Labor & Training.

SAO Opportunities

Opportunities are those factors in the external environment which have the possibility of enhancing the Student Affairs Office with its stakeholders.

·  Collaboration among PSD offices, community agencies, and SAO

·  SAO Staff low turnover

·  Educate public about Student Affairs Office

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SAO Strengths

The Student Affairs Office strengths are those aspects that are useful for helping it achieve its mission. They are identified as:

·  SAO location-182 Thurbers Avenue, Providence Rhode Island which is located in a handicapped accessible building separate from schools.

·  SAO Conference Room to conduct formal disciplinary hearings and/or meetings

·  SAO staff attitudes, skills, and knowledge of subject matter

·  SAO technology-access to computer workstations, network of printers, individual office space for confidentiality/personal student issues

·  SAO staff development activities which support student services and are geared for dealing with truancy & suspension issues

·  Dedication of Providence School Board members, Providence Schools Superintendent & Central Administration

Accountability & Follow Up

The SAO strategic goals will be reviewed on an annual basis with recommendations submitted to the Chief of Administration, who oversees SAO. The goals and strategies are intended to

provide the Providence Public Schools community a means by which it can measure its activities. The plan will be considered a success if the following criteria are met:

Data keeping/Reports:

·  SAO Monthly Student Hearings Database & Monthly School Suspension Report – prepare & submit to PSD Schools on a monthly basis

·  SAO Annual Report – prepared & submitted annually on or by July of each year

·  Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) Annual Suspension Report-prepared & submitted by PPSD Technology Department to RIDE listing all student disciplinary offenses and infractions by PSD school.

·  SAO/Rhode Island Foundation High School Scholarship Annual Report- prepare and submit to PSD & Rhode Island Foundation on the student expenditures for High School Recipients

·  Annual activities are either completed and/or modified on schedule

·  Analysis of all student exclusion data

Summary

By using data to guide decision making and specific recommendations concerning the SAO program, reaffirm our need to provide strong supportive services to all Providence students. Creating partnerships and alliances within the community and additional personnel will assist us in achieving our goal.

Appendix 1.

·  2016-2017 SAO End of the Year Data Sheet

An Equal Opportunity Employer. The Providence School Department does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, sex, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, color, disability or veteran status. Vision: The Providence Public School District will be a national leader in educating urban youth. Mission: The Providence Public School District will prepare all students to succeed in the nation’s colleges and universities, and in their chosen professions.