Detailed data denotes violent incidents at Beaumont schools

During the first 23 days of school, Beaumont ISD high school and middle school campuses reported 158 unique disciplinary referrals for violent incidents that include staff and student assaults, instigating fights, mutual combat, bullying and “one-sided hitting,” according to state-mandated district reporting data provided to The Examiner pursuant to a Public Information Request.

The BISD-provided data, which covers a time from the first day of the current school year on Aug. 10 through Sept. 12 – a total of 23 days of in-school instruction – also delineates behavior that includes: gambling at Beaumont United and West Brook high schools; possession and/or sale of controlled substances at Beaumont United and Odom Academy Middle School; terroristic threats that required removal from campus per the Texas Education Code at Vincent Middle School and West Brook; “improper touching of a student” and pornography possession at Beaumont United; and “improper sexual conduct/action” at King Middle School and Marshall Middle School.

Campus and classroom disruptions, in addition to excessive tardies and the oft-referenced “use vulgar language/gestures” offenses, are also represented heavily in the disciplinary data report. However, according to BISD correspondence accompanying the data report, the tallied disciplinary infractions may not be representative of the number of incidents actually taking place as a whole.

“Our campus leadership teams consistently monitor the buildings and hallways to redirect student misconduct, which may not always result in a formal referral,” BISD spokesperson Hannah LeTulle provided. “As such, the spreadsheet does not reflect every instance of student noncompliance with the Student Code of Conduct.”

The district-provided spreadsheet that purports to “reflect all documented disciplinary referrals for all BISD secondary campuses broken down by month” will be available for public review at www.theexaminer.com.

Every middle and high school in the Beaumont school district, except the Early College High School, reported at least one instance of drug possession, sexual misconduct or student assault. At West Brook alone, the first 16 days of the school year presented discipline referrals that included: 44 discipline referrals for insubordination, 25 referrals for classroom disruption, one referral for gambling, one referral for a terroristic threat, two referrals for threats that weren’t considered terroristic, 10 referrals for mutual combat and one-sided hitting, four referrals for the suspected possession and sale of marijuana, and three referrals for instigating a fight.

Marshall Middle School’s roughly 700-student population reported 15
disciplinary referrals for fighting and one-sided hitting the first 16 days of school, in addition to five incidents of “horseplay.” Smith Middle School, with a student body hovering under 500, reported 18 student assaults, fights and one-sided hitting incidents during the first 16 days of school.

Per population, violent incidents at Beaumont United, where students numbered 2,158 on Sept. 27, and at West Brook, where students numbered 2,158 on Sept. 27, were committed by a small fraction of the student body. The student body members who are wreaking havoc, however, have garnered the attention of the community and the administration.

“As a district, we are continually striving to improve student behavior, thereby reducing discipline referrals to provide a safe learning environment,” LeTulle provided on behalf of BISD. “Towards this end, and with acknowledgement of the recent egregious behavior by a small subset of our students, the district is refining and adding programming to safeguard our campuses and support our students.”

LeTulle provided a summary of a plethora of programs currently underway to discourage derelict displays like those caught on camera in campus hallways and bathrooms. Among the initiatives are “structured disciplinary placements with students removed from the campus for assaultive offenses,” “restorative on campus discipline placements with integrated social emotional support,” “Social Emotional Learning curriculum” and “Restorative Discipline Programs.”

Additionally, LeTulle pointed to an increase in the number of Wellness Coordinators on campuses, additional Behavior Interventionists to support campus administration, de-escalation kits for every campus, revised guidance counselor duties, additional administrator walks and interventions to support campus administrators, increased security personnel, and safety screenings at the high schools.

As supported by recently released research, Beaumont ISD is focusing attention to grow support of volunteers from the community to become involved in the daily functions and added monitoring needed for the district’s many campuses.

A Sept. 27 report released by the Institute for Health Research and Policy at the University of Illinois Chicago indicates that the work of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America mentoring organization is making a significant impact on the lives of youth, giving rise to the importance of mentors in youth education.

According to the data, after 18 months, youth in the mentoring programs were 54% less likely to have been arrested and 41% less likely to have engaged in substance use than their peers in a control group. The study also found that youth mentees “made significantly greater improvements in several other areas including school engagement, self-control, social skills, grit, self-advocacy, and family functioning.”

“The results are a noteworthy addition to a persuasive body of evidence that pairing a young person with a caring adult from their community can truly make an important difference in that youth’s life,” said David DuBois of the Institute for Health Research and Policy at the University of Illinois Chicago, the report’s lead researcher.

Beaumont ISD’s Parent and Community Support (PACS) program is geared to provide mentorship opportunities otherwise lacking. However, after more than a month of school and more than 150 violent incidents on middle and high school campuses, participation has not been overwhelming.

West Brook High School Principal Nicholas Phillips has been advocating PACS participation, especially in the wake of a viral video depicting the assault of a student in the high school bathroom. At a Sept. 20 meeting of the group, Phillips welcomed less than a dozen volunteers committed to “enhance the school culture by supporting campus and security personnel in providing a safe learning environment for students” by posing as a positive presence on campus that helps to ensure a smooth transition to classes and other school-related activities throughout the day.

“PACS may be asked to monitor hallways, restrooms, the playground or cafeteria to support safety and have another set of eyes on our students,” LeTulle provided through district policy. “They may redirect students to their assigned classroom or alert an administrator of any situations that arise.”

All PACS volunteers, or any volunteer on campuses district-wide, must have a valid government-issued ID and pass a criminal background check, including parents and guardians of current students. Anyone wishing to volunteer must fill out an application online, allowing 10 days for processing.

For more information on the PACS program and other volunteer opportunities, contact the campus of interest, Mrs. Harvey at kharvey@bmtisd.com for West Brook High School, bmtisd.com/
volunteers or Debbie Bridgeman at (409) 617-5042.

Volunteering in mentorship, to let Big Brothers Big Sisters President and CEO Artis Stevens tell the tale of a successful program that has accomplished positive results for the youth it serves, is an investment in more than just the students touched by the program.

“Our approach is to put kids at the center with a caring, positive adult mentor and the support of an ecosystem surrounding them – resources, experiences and opportunities,” he said. “We believe the power of mentorship can not only change the life of a young person, but impact an entire community, a whole generation, by breaking societal barriers, closing opportunity gaps and overcoming adversities embedded in communities nationwide.”

Jennifer Johnson is a nationally award-winning investigative journalist with decades of experience in Southeast Texas. She can be reached at (409) 434-8821, Ext. 231, or jenniferjohnson@theexaminer.com.