Youngstown schools earn accolades for behavior interventions

YOUNGSTOWN

The Youngstown City School District earned several awards for its Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports.

Of the 19 schools to earn bronze awards for such programs Thursday at an education summit, eight of them were city schools. The awards were presented as part of the Lake to River Learning: Promising Practices Collaborative Learning Summit at the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center.

Chaney High School, Youngstown Rayen Early College High School and Williamson, Volney Rogers, Paul C. Bunn, William Holmes McGuffey and Martin Luther King elementary schools and Rayen Early College Middle School earned the recognition.

The State Support Team Region Five sponsored the program. Region Five provides professional development, technical assistance focused on school improvement, special education and early learning and school readiness. It includes schools in Mahoning, Trumbull, Ashtabula and Columbiana counties.

“I’m proud of all of these schools for implementing these programs and for seeing them through,” said school district CEO Krish Mohip. “This shows that we’re making a positive difference in our schools for our children.”

Positive Behavior Interventions and Support includes setting expectations for student behavior, ensuring students understand those expectations and maintaining consistency. The Y-Bucks program initiated during the 2017-18 school year is another example. Students earn Y-Bucks for exhibiting positive behavior in school. They can use the city schools currency to buy things from the school stores.

This is the first year that the city schools applied for the Positive Behavior Interventions and Support recognition so bronze awards were the highest for which they were eligible. Silver and gold awards are available to schools that have been involved for multiple years.