6.2.4 Matrix of Supports/Interventions for Serious Behaviors

Refer to the matrix in response to serious behaviors.

If the principal determines there is a danger to persons, a student may be suspended on first offense for some behaviors. Read more about this in the section “High risk behaviors may result in suspension on a first offense” in chapter 6.2.5. Serious behaviors may include:

Behavior category: Property

Please note: The California Education Code (CA Education Code) is a collection of laws created by California state legislators. All local school boards throughout California are responsible for complying with these codes. The code citations are helpful reference points for you to understand the source of the rule.

Property behaviors

CA Education Code 

Damaging or attempting to damage school or private property.

48900(f)

Stealing or attempting to steal school or private property.

48900(g)

Knowingly receiving stolen property.

48900(l)

Robbery or extortion (i.e. obtaining the property of someone else through force or intimidation). 

48900(e)

Behavior category: Harassment, Bullying, or Hazing

Please note: The California Education Code (CA Education Code) is a collection of laws created by California state legislators. All local school boards throughout California are responsible for complying with these codes. The code citations are helpful reference points for you to understand the source of the rule.

Harassment, Bullying, or Hazing behaviors

CA Education Code 

Committed an obscene act or engaged in habitual profanity or vulgarity. 

48900 (i)

Hazing (i.e. a process of initiation into a student organization or body, whether or not the organization or body is officially recognized by a school, that is likely to cause serious bodily injury, personal degradation, or disgrace resulting in physical or mental harm. “Hazing” does not include athletic events or school-sanctioned events.)

48900(q)

Intimidating witness (e.g. harassing, threatening, or intimidating a student who is a complaining witness or a witness in a school disciplinary proceeding for purposes of either preventing that student from being a witness and/or retaliating against that student for being a witness.

48900(o)

Bullying (i.e. severe or pervasive physical or verbal conduct - including electronic communication - that places a student in fear of harm to themselves or their property or causes a substantially detrimental effect on a student’s health, academic performance or access to school activities.)

48900(r)

Sexual harassment (i.e. unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal, visual, or physical conduct of a sexual nature, made by someone in an educational setting that has a negative impact on academic performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive educational environment.)

48900.2

Harassment, threats, or intimidation directed against staff or students, that is sufficiently severe or pervasive to have the actual and reasonably expected effect of materially disrupting classwork, creating substantial disorder, and invading the rights of staff or students by creating an intimidating or hostile educational environment (grades 4-12 only)

48900.4

Behavior category: Threats

Please note: The California Education Code (CA Education Code) is a collection of laws created by California state legislators. All local school boards throughout California are responsible for complying with these codes. The code citations are helpful reference points for you to understand the source of the rule.

Threats behaviors

CA Education Code 

Terroristic threats (i.e. a statement that threatens death, great bodily injury, or property damage in excess of $1,000 and suggests an immediate prospect of executing on the threat; and causes the threatened person sustained fear for their safety, their family’s safety or damage to property.) 

48900.7

Harassment, threats or intimidation (see “Behavior category: Harassment, Bullying, or Hazing” for definition).

48900.4

Behavior category: Violence or Weapons

Please note: The California Education Code (CA Education Code) is a collection of laws created by California state legislators. All local school boards throughout California are responsible for complying with these codes. The code citations are helpful reference points for you to understand the source of the rule.

Violence or Weapons behaviors

For other violence or weapon behaviors that can have suspension/expulsion on first offense, see the Matrix of Supports/Interventions for High Risk Behaviors.

CA Education Code 

Imitation firearm (i.e. a replica of a firearm that is substantially similar to an existing firearm).

48900(m)

Hate violence (i.e. to willfully injure, intimidate or threaten a person in their free exercise of their rights by force or threat because of the person’s actual or perceived race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, disability, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity) (grades 4-12 only).

48900.3

Caused, attempted, or threatened physical injury; willfully used force or violence except in situations of self-defense. 

48900(a)(1)

48900(a)(2)

Possession, use, furnish or sale of weapons or dangerous objects (e.g. knives, explosives, other) without written school permission. 

48900(b)

Behavior category: Drugs, Alcohol, or Tobacco

Please note: The California Education Code (CA Education Code) is a collection of laws created by California state legislators. All local school boards throughout California are responsible for complying with these codes. The code citations are helpful reference points for you to understand the source of the rule.

Drugs, Alcohol, or Tobacco behaviors

CA Education Code 

Possession or use of tobacco or nicotine products, including cigarettes, vape/electronic cigarettes, cigars, snuff, betel. Does not apply to student’s prescription products.

48900(h)

Unlawful possession, sale, or arrangement to sell drug paraphernalia (e.g. bongs, roach clips, pipes).

48900(j)

Unlawful offer, sale or arrangement to sell Soma (prescription drug).

48900(p)

Unlawfully possessed, used, sold, or otherwise furnished, or been under the influence of, a controlled substance, an alcoholic beverage, or an intoxicant of any kind.

48900(c)

Sale or furnish look-alike controlled substance, alcoholic beverage, or intoxicant of any kind. 

48900(d)

How to Use this Matrix Link to this section

After a student incident, the school principal or designee is responsible for making sure the student is on the Coordinated Care Team’s (CCT) agenda for the next available CCT meeting, and leading and partnering with other school staff, students, and families (the term family is used to include parents, caregivers and guardians) in the support and intervention process. A CCT exists at each school and focuses on school climate, family partnership, attendance, and student / family services.

The school administrator or CCT will:

  1. Connect with families: The school Principal or a designee has a conversation with the student’s family. 
    The family’s unwillingness to speak does not prevent the CCT from attempting to move forward with interventions and support for the student.
  2. Convene the CCT and relevant teachers: The principal or designee should contact the representative of the CCT to place the student on the agenda for the next available CCT meeting. The relevant teacher(s) should also be invited to attend this meeting, along with the principal and/or designee. 
  3. Select appropriate supports/interventions: The CCT should then, in collaboration with teachers, families, and students involved in the incident, select appropriate supports/interventions from the relevant section of the matrix (see below) to implement. The CCT should review the student’s academic and behavioral data to determine the need for intervention or modification to current interventions.
    For Drugs, Alcohol or Tobacco behaviors only: The CCT should additionally refer student to Behavior Intervention Services (BIS) counseling. The student should be enrolled in BIS or outside drug/alcohol counseling by the 3rd incident onwards. 
  4. Document plans: The CCT, in conjunction with relevant teachers, should document the selected supports/interventions and any plans developed in the appropriate place in Synergy, alerting any additional teacher(s) to review the plan/interventions. The CCT should provide guidance to teachers/staff on how to store information related to student incidents and interventions in Synergy. The CCT can reach out to the Resource Link at sflink@sfusd.edu or 415-340-1716 (during hours of operation) for consultation as needed.
  5. Implement plans: The selected support/intervention should be implemented for a minimum of 4–6 weeks. 
  6. Follow-up actions: After 4-6 weeks of implementation, the CCT should return to the goals set with the student and assess the extent to which each goal has been met. Based on this assessment, the CCT should decide whether to maintain, intensify, or phase out the intervention. Additional interventions should be attempted if the first intervention was not successful. Families should be informed of progress and any changes made to intervention plans.

For families: 

The school administration and the CCT will work with the student’s family to learn about the student’s needs and what they feel will help to resolve it. Any intervention and support plans made by the CCT should be shared with families. 

For additional information about how to access any student related records, families can connect with their school’s administration office at any time. 

Matrix of Supports/Interventions for Serious Behaviors
Link to this section

This matrix lists intervention options that must be exhausted before issuing a suspension, except in cases where suspension is permitted or required after a first offense (see chapter 6.2.2 “Student Suspensions”). Even if a student is suspended or referred for expulsion, this table provides recommended interventions to address the behavior.

Interventions with an asterisk (*) have definitions in the glossary in chapter 6.2.1.

For the CCT: Pick at least one support/intervention to implement per incident and document in the appropriate place in Synergy. For technical assistance on any of these interventions, please reach out to to sflink@sfusd.edu

Note: The school site is also free to utilize additional interventions and alternatives available at their site that are not listed in the matrix.

Matrix: Support/Intervention options for 1st incident

Social-Emotional Supports

Behavioral Response to Intervention (Behavioral RTI) and Restorative Practices (RP) 

Environmental

  • Skills Group *

    for Property behaviors: conflict resolution and social emotional learning

    for Harassment, Bullying, or Hazing behaviors: peace/respect/dignity/anti-violence

    for Threats, Violence, or Weapons: conflict resolution/anti-violence

    for Drugs, Alcohol or Tobacco behaviors: drug/alcohol and social emotional learning 
  • Peer Mediation (Grades 6-12) * 
  • Enroll in positive after-school activities
  • Push-in support from school site counselor or social worker with conflict resolution
  • Restorative Practice Conference * at school with affected students/staff
  • Corrective feedback: De-Escalate*, teach/reteach appropriate skills, and facilitate reentry
  • Make modifications that take into account known student predictors of problem behavior (consult with school site Coordinated Care Team team members for assistance)
  • Professional development for in class staff in applicable/relevant areas: Behavioral RTI*, trauma informed practices, Cultural Competency*, De-Escalation *, etc.
  • Meet with teacher to review student academic and behavioral data to develop a classroom plan and potentially differentiate instruction

Matrix: Additional support/intervention options for 2nd incident

2nd incident options include all 1st incident options (see above) AND the following:

Social-Emotional Supports

Behavioral Response to Intervention (Behavioral RTI) and Restorative Practices (RP) 

Environmental

  • Mentor with progress monitoring
  • Restorative Practice Conference * with family/families
  • School Home Note*
  • Class Pass *
  • Positive Peer Reporting *
  • Self-Monitoring *
  • Check fidelity of established intervention plan and make modifications if necessary
  • Check In, Check Out *
  • Saturday school
  • Consider change of classroom or more intensive in class supports

Matrix: Additional support/intervention options for 3rd incident

3rd incident options include all 1st and 2nd incident options (see above) AND the following:

Social-Emotional Supports

Behavioral Response to Intervention (Behavioral RTI) and Restorative Practices (RP) 

Environmental

  • Individual counseling (school site or off-site)
  • Contact Department for Public Health (DPH) 
  • School site School Social Worker (SSW) to coordinate and case manage multiple student and family services
  • Home Visit *
  • Restorative Practice Conference * with family/families and outside agencies
  • Behavior support plan
  • Direct teaching and practice of functionally equivalent replacement behavior
  • Classroom Consultation * with the Coordinated Care Team

Printable PDF version of the matrix Link to this section

Printable PDF version of the matrix

A printable PDF version of this matrix can be found at this link:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1D3If1082atMVgIKcDxYLJW0sFx2AjE_2?usp=sharing 

This page was last updated on September 28, 2022