Fullerton School District – August 20, 2024 Notes 

The Fullerton School District August 20 board meeting started with Superintendent Dr. Bob Pletka introducing Dr. Marci Rojas from Hacienda/La Puente Unified School District to serve as Richman Elementary’s new principal. Principal Rojas plans to continue implementing the district’s goal:

• to engage families in the learning process
• nurturing students by melding academic rigor with mental and emotional wellness
• and strong community ties.

Social and Emotional Wellness Update

The FSD Social and Emotional Learning team, led by the Director of Administrative Services, Dr. Helene Morris, provided data measuring the district’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) system effectiveness. PBIS is separated into 3 tiers of actions for students and teachers. Tier one reflects long-time professional communication methods utilized by effective teachers for decades. Highly successful teachers set high goals with clear expectations for student academic engagement and behavior, use fast responsive reinforcement for productive actions, behaviors, and consequences for unproductive behaviors or actions. The consistency of this respectful interaction forms the foundational teacher-student relationship, where teachers, students, and families understand what is expected from all parties and the projected learning outcomes. This method leads to an effective educational environment for 75-85% of all students, pre-pandemic and now, 4 years later. For 10-15% of students, this method does not provide enough support to have them participate in a productive educational environment, and they require additional tier 2 and 3 services.

Tier 2 interventions add supportive staff to teach students social skills, resiliency, and coping options in small group settings, often revealing other factors influencing a student’s disruptive behavior. Tutoring and learning disability intervention can be added in Tier 2 settings. Unfortunately, 5-7% of the student population does not respond to any of these program options and requires one-to-one counseling including, but not limited to:

• social services,
• mental health support,
• behavioral contracts,
• and restorative conferences.

Data showed that FSD follows these regular student percentage trends. Although 5% sounds like a low number, in FSD’s student population, 600 or more students each year require additional intensive learning and emotional support and possible wrap-around social services. Dr. Pletka explained that the pandemic exposed and intensified issues for some students, and the district continues to brainstorm different options and supports to help students who are dealing with many different traumatic experiences. He does not promise to answer all student issues, but he committed along with the SEL team to keep working on making Fullerton School District a safe and secure place for all students to learn and thrive.

Digital Wellness

Assistant Superintendent of Innovation and Instruction Support (IIS) Jeremy Davis and Director of IIS, Pablo Davis updated the trustees on the partnership that technology has formed with the SEL team to organize a matrix of lessons for students teaching responsible digital citizenship to help them use technology responsibly at school and home. This year, the department expanded its family support with resources and new videos to help parents understand the impact of social media on their children’s emotional well-being and responsibly using technology at home. In grades 3-8, students work through the Common Sense Education for Digital Citizenship, a 4-unit, multi-lesson course that includes a relationship unit utilizing students’ social and emotional learning, leading to end projects that review technology protocol. For example, the lessons compare online friendships versus in-person friendships and have students demonstrate the similarities and differences between these interactions. The lessons help students identify and recognize healthy interactions and relationships as well as proper protocol online.

FSD uses technology to support SEL programs by conducting a twice-yearly student survey on mental wellness, social skills, and resilience. The data is used by counselors and the SEL team to see trends that combine multiple data points with grades to highlight students who may be having issues but are not reaching out for help. Counselors can check in with students to see if there are resources that the district can offer for support. The data has been made easier for teachers to access, so if a teacher suspects a student requires help, they can properly refer students to counselors for emotional wellness checks.

The technology team is responsible for erasing and maintaining all the school’s technology and getting all parents and students to sign use agreements. The newly rewritten one-and-a-half-page student /school technology agreement (down from 8 pages) outlines proper technology use, password protection, no unauthorized use of AI or cheating, no recording, photographing, or filming anyone against their permission, and parents sign this to support the children’s actions and behavior. If parents have not read the newly rewritten policy, the agreement is on the district website.

The next Fullerton School District Board meeting is scheduled for September 17 at 6 pm. 

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