PBIS - Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports

A San Jacinto Difference…PBIS for our students!

We strive to teach empathy, mindfulness and behavior skills for academic success!

Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a proactive approach to establishing the behavioral supports and social culture within SJUSD schools. It is needed for all students in an educational setting  to achieve social, emotional and academic success. We strive to give attention that is focused on creating and sustaining primary (school-wide), secondary (classroom), and tertiary (individual) systems of support that improve lifestyle results (personal, health, social, family, work, recreation) for all SJUSD students. We work at making targeted misbehavior less effective, efficient, and relevant, and desired behavior more prevalent.

Frequently, the question is asked, “Why should we have to teach kids to be good? They already know what they are supposed to do. Why can we not just expect good behavior?” In the past, school-wide discipline has focused mainly on reacting to specific student misbehavior by implementing punishment-based strategies including reprimands, loss of privileges, office referrals, suspensions, and expulsions. Research has shown that the implementation of punishment, especially when it is used inconsistently and in the absence of other positive strategies, is ineffective. At SJUSD we introduce, model, and reinforce positive social behavior because it is an important step for a student’s educational experience. Teaching behavioral expectations and rewarding students for following them is a much more positive approach than waiting for misbehavior to occur before responding. The purpose of school-wide PBIS is to establish a climate in which traits like empathy and mindfulness is the norm. PBIS gives our students the tools to have academic success throughout their days at San Jacinto Unified School District and the tools for successful entry into higher education and careers.