PARIS — Oxford Comprehensive High School Principal Paul Bickford updated SAD 17 directors on attendance and Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS) at the school.

Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School Principal Paul Bickford reports on student behavior programs and stats to school board directors. Nicole Carter/Advertiser Democrat
Bickford’s school goals for PBIS goals for this year include seeing every staff member recognizes at least one student for demonstrating positive behavior and that every student receives recognition for at least one incident of positive behavior.
At the end of the first semester, 130 employees have participated in the program, while 707 students have been recorded for positive behaviors – with some receiving multiple recognition for exhibiting care for themselves, care for others in school, or care toward the building and their surroundings.
Bickford also reported that since September OHCHS has recorded 589 student behavioral incidents, with 150 of them resulting in out of school suspensions.
By this time last year, Bickford said there were 288 behavior violations, 134 of them resulting in suspensions.
“Currently, 94% of our students have two or fewer reported behavior incidents and 82% have zero,” Bickford said. “Last year, 93% had two or fewer reported incidents and 71% had zero.
“What this tells me is that the number of out of school suspension hasn’t changed a whole lot. But this year we’re catching more of those minor incidents that we were not before. Having a third assistant principal, we are able to get things like skipping class, or being late for a class or inappropriate language or behavior. Things that don’t (warrant) and out of school suspension but are really important to create a better culture.”
Chronic absenteeism at OHCHS has decreased by 8% over last year, as a result of increased interventions to get students to class, including engagement with families and individual student plans to overcome obstacles that hinder their coming to school.
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