October 24, 2024

Emporia Public Schools Highlights Significant Decreases in Discipline Incidents and Chronic Absenteeism in Quarterly Report to Board of Education and District Support Team

Emporia, KS – During the Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, October 23, members of the District Support Team presented Emporia Public Schools’ Quarterly Report to the Board of Education. The report highlighted significant improvements in student behavior and attendance across the district, showcasing a significant decrease in discipline occurrences and a reduction in chronic absenteeism rates. These outcomes reflect the district's commitment to creating a safe, positive, and supportive learning environment.

The Quarterly Report shows a consistent decline in discipline incidents across all grade levels from August through October. One noticeable highlight is the significant drop in behavior incidents at the PreK-5 level. These improvements are credited to the district's focus on Capturing Kids' Hearts and its emphasis on social-emotional learning, which has helped create positive atmospheres in classrooms and schools district-wide.

Emporia Public Schools’ Behavior Specialist, Mrs. Jennifer Casey, has played a pivotal role in these successes, offering professional development opportunities that focus on understanding and managing student behaviors. The foundation to improve student behavior has been in development for years, with more intentional work beginning in Spring 2022. Mrs. Casey has further enriched the foundation through the provision of training sessions that equip staff with tools and strategies for effectively addressing behaviors in the classroom, further supporting the district's social-emotional learning goals. Mrs. Casey works closely with elementary staff, providing additional support to help manage behaviors in various school settings.

The district’s innovative approach of incorporating soft starts, which provide students with activities to ease into their school day, has created smoother transitions into learning. Additionally, social-emotional learning (SEL) groups are active at various grade levels, helping students build the skills necessary to succeed both academically and socially. A dedicated group of student support specialists and school psychologists developed tiered 2 and 3 lessons over the summer to offer staff enhanced resources that address the social-emotional needs of all students.

The Quarterly Report also highlighted the district's success in reducing chronic absenteeism. Many grade levels, including Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 12th, showed a marked decrease in absenteeism rates when comparing data from the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years. This decrease is an encouraging sign of the district's efforts to engage students and ensure they are consistently attending school.

"We are incredibly proud of the progress our students and staff have made in reducing discipline incidents and absenteeism," said Mrs. Judy Stanley, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching, Learning, and Student Services. "These improvements reflect the hard work and dedication of our educators and the entire Emporia community. By focusing on social-emotional learning and providing the necessary support, we are creating a positive environment where all students can thrive."

Emporia Public Schools remains dedicated to creating a safe and supportive learning environment that prioritizes students' mental health and social-emotional growth. By continuing to focus on reducing absenteeism and improving behavior, the district hopes to help students achieve success both in and out of the classroom. Ongoing efforts will include professional development, tiered social-emotional learning resources, and behavioral support from Mrs. Jennifer Casey, the district's Behavior Specialist. Additionally, the district will continue refining its strategies for tracking and responding to behavior and attendance issues, ensuring students receive the support they need to stay on track. Emporia Public Schools is committed to providing an environment that nurtures both academic achievement and personal development, equipping students with the tools necessary to be successful throughout their educational careers and beyond.