The EVVRS

1. The EVVRS The Electronic Violence & Vandalism Reporting System Training: Winter, Spring 2009

2. Today’s Objectives • Become familiar with all system features • Reporting Incidents of Students with Disabilities: Understanding the changes made to the Offender Information Page. • What to report: Avoiding under- and over-reporting, and misreporting.

3. Where do the data go? • Commissioner’s Report to the Legislature • Public Access Site http://www.state.nj.us/education/schools/vandv/index.html • U.S. Department of Education • The NCLB Consolidated Performance Report • Reasons for Suspensions • Students disciplined (reason, grade) • Gun-Free Schools Report (Firearms) • Students with Disabilities Suspension Report

4. A Quick Tour of the System • System documents • Entering data • VV-SA Incidents • Other Suspensions • Modifying data

5. Reporting Disciplinary Incidents of Students with Disabilities Suspension, Expulsion, 45-day Removals

6. Federal and State RequirementsSuspensions • The IDEA requires submission of disciplinary data by November 1 of each school year • Suspensions – at least half of the school day • Violations of the schools code of conduct • Disruptive behavior, late to class, disrespectful behavior, etc. • Out of school suspensions • More than 10 cumulative school days in a school year • More than 10 consecutive school days in a school year • In school suspensions • Must be reported, even if services were provided • If services provided, the suspension is not counted towards the 10 days for a Manifestation Determination

7. Expulsions • Under IDEA students with disabilities may be expelled • If the behavior was not a manifestation of the student’s disability • Services must still be provided • May be provided in a location other than the placement at the time of the incident • Alternative school • Home instruction

8. 45-Day Removals • Unilateral removals • School officials may remove a student with disabilities for 45 calendar days for the following: • Weapons • The student carries a weapon to or possesses a weapon at school, on school premises, or to or at a school function under the jurisdiction of an SEA or an LEA; or • Drugs • The student knowingly possesses or uses illegal drugs, or sells or solicits the sale of a controlled substance, while at school, on school premises, or at a school function under the jurisdiction of an SEA or an LEA; or • Serious bodily injury • The student has inflicted serious bodily injury upon another person while at school, on school premises, or at a school function under the jurisdiction of an SEA or an LEA.

9. Removal by an ALJ • To remove a student for dangerousness, a district must request a due process hearing • An administrative law judge from the Office of Administrative Law may remove a student with a disability to an interim alternative educational setting because there was a likelihood that continued placement in the current educational setting would result in injury to the student or other students.

10. Data Collection Forms • Report of Suspension/Removal of Students with Disabilities, for Other Reasons, including Offender Information • VV-SA Form

11. Report of Suspension/Removal of Students with Disabilities (Revised)for reasons other than violence, vandalism, weapons or substance abusefor the Electronic Violence and Vandalism Reporting System (EVVRS)2008-2009 School ______________________________ Incident Information Incident Number: ________________ The EVVRS generates the incident number upon data entry. Location of Incident: cafeteria, classroom, corridor, other inside school, school grounds, bus, building exterior, district office, other outside, school entrance, off-site program (____________) Date of Incident: ________________ Time of Incident: ___________ ___ Bias Police Notification: __None __Yes, complaint filed __Yes, no complaint filed __Gang-Related Contact Name: _________________________ Contact Phone: ________________ Brief Description of the Reason for the Suspension: ___________________________________________________________  __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Offender Page Information Student ID#:________________________ ___Was the student suspended or removed from his/her educational setting? __Yes __No If yes, check the disciplinary action taken: __Expulsion __In-school suspension* __Out-of-school suspension Number of days suspended or removed for this incident:__________ Program/services provided upon disciplinary action (Check one): __None __Assignments __Academic Instruction (only) __Support Services (only) __Educational Program (academic instruction and support services) __In-district alternative program* __Other in-district setting __Out-of-district alternative program* __Home instruction __Other out-of-district setting *District board of education or Department of Education approved only

12. VIOLENCE, VANDALISM, ANDSUBSTANCE ABUSE (VV-SA) OFFENDER INFORMATION, 2008-2009 (Revised) Please complete the following information for EACH offender involved in the incident. OFFENDER TYPE STUDENT ID NUMBER_______ STUDENT NAME:______________________ ____ Regular education student (Students of the school only) (Students of the school only) ____ Student with a disability ____ Student from another school ____ Non-student System-Assigned Incident Number_____________ For students of this school only, check the items which describe any action taken regarding this offender. Removal: Was the student removed from his/her educational setting? ____Yes Use Group A or B, Action Taken ____No Use Group C, Action Taken Disciplinary action taken: Group A, All Students: ____Expulsion ____In-school suspension ____Out-of-school suspension Group B, Students with disabilities only: ____Unilateral removal ____Removal by ALJ Group C, All students: ____None ____Detention ____Other Days removed or suspended: _________________ Program/Services provided upon disciplinary action: ____None ____Assignment(s) ____Academic Instruction (only) ____Support Services (only) ____Educational Program (Academic Instruction and Support Services) ____*In-district alternative education program ____Other in-district setting ____*Out-of-district alternative education program ____Home Instruction ____Other out-of-district setting Offender caused: ____ Bodily injury ____Serious bodily injury Offender incurred: ____ Bodily injury ____Serious bodily injury *District Board of Education or Department of Education approved only For students of this school only. Check the categories that describe the offender. GRADE: ___PRE K ___K ___1 ___2 ___3 ___4 ___5 ___6 ___7 ___8 ___9 ___10 ____11 ___12 ___Un-Graded GENDER RACE/ETHNICITY LEP: ____ Check if “Yes” ____ Male ____ American Indian ____ Female ____ Asian or Pacific Islander Section 504: ____ Check if “Yes” ____ Black or African-American ____ Hispanic or Latino ____ White (Not Hispanic) SPECIAL EDUCATION ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA ____ Autism ____ Hearing impairments ____ Other health impairments ____ Speech language impairments ____ Deaf-blindness ____ Multiple disabilities ____ Orthopedic Impairments ____ Traumatic brain injury ____ Emotional disturbance ____ Mental retardation ____ Specific learning disabilities ____ Visual impairments Check the type of incident involving this offender: _____ Violence _____ Vandalism _____ Weapon _____ Substance Abuse

13. Increase in Other Suspensions • Over the past five years, the number of suspensions of students with disabilities for reasons other than violence and vandalism has increased, dramatically so in 2007-08. • With the stress on Removal, the number is certain to increase. • Districts should review their data recording and entry procedures accordingly.

14. Two Levels of Injury A Change from 2007-08 • Bodily injury: Examples include concussions, fractured or broken bones, or cuts requiring stitches. Injury which requires professional medical attention but is not considered serious as defined below. • Serious Bodily Injury: Involves--(A) a substantial risk of death; (B) extreme physical pain; (C) protracted and obvious disfigurement; or (D) protracted loss or impairment of the function of a bodily member, organ, or mental faculty.

15. Which Type of Injury? (see notes for answers) • A student is blinded in an assault • A student’s arm is broken in a fight • A student gets a bloody nose in a fight • A student is assaulted with a knife; stitches are required to close the wound

16. Let’s Practice • “Group up” with your neighbors • Take out the “Other Suspension” Form and the VV-SA Form • Pick a “Group Leader” • Pick a recorder who will complete one of the forms for the group.

17. A student with disabilities: Which form? See Notes. • skipped detention and received a half-day ISS • cursed a teacher and received an eight day ISS • breaks the wrist of another student and threatens others • brings a handgun to school

18. New on the EVVRS in 2009 • Incident Screen: Local # (optional) • Offender Screen: Removal, ISS, OSS, new options and requirements in Program Provided, Injury (two questions, two levels) • Victim Screen: ID for School Personnel (keep track as there is no edit check), injury (one question, two levels), non-specific group as victim type

19. Offender Information Screen • Removal – Select ‘No’ only if the student was not removed from his/her educational setting. • If a student was placed in an in-school “crisis room,” for example, select In-School Suspension for Action Taken and the appropriate Program Provided.

20. Offender Information (cont.) • Edit checks • “Days Suspended” must be > 0 (greater than zero) unless Action Taken is from Group C. Can be one-half (.5) day. • If “Days Suspended” >= 5, then Program Provided must be selected. If fewer than 5, then selection of Program Provided is optional (but recommended)

21. Victim Information Screen • Unspecified Group as Victim Type – Used, for example, when: • whole class is threatened (threat is recognized as serious, some probability of occurring • “Students in this school” are threatened • Not used for bomb threat

22. Victim Screen (cont.) • ID for School Personnel • Why? Will allow for unduplicated count • Any combination of letters and numbers of three digits or more • Assign the same number to one individual • System does not check for previous entry of the number (no edit check)

23. Entering Data • Wait until you have all the information • Pick the right form (i.e., type of incident) • Incident Page: Always include location • After making correction, check school name, offender type, victim type (they may revert to the default value) • Victim of Violent Criminal Offense? If yes, enter information.

24. Underreporting, overrepporting and misreporting on the EVVRS • Regroup. • Handout: “How would you classify . .” • From either Group A or B, decide as a group how you would report the incident described. Write it down. • Refer to your Incident definitions. • Be prepared to discuss. Expect disagreement.

25. Underreporting, overrepporting and misreporting on the EVVRS (cont.) • Write a description of an incident that you think a district: • might report, but should not • might not report, but should • might report, but misclassify (what error would they make?)

26. EVVRS Data – When the Department monitors • Sharp declines sustained over 3 years; • Gap between expected vs. actual (based on size and type of school) • Observations made in QSACC visits • Complaints by citizens or staff • All four factors are examined together to select districts/schools to monitor

27. EVVRS • Questions? • Tech Support: evvrs@doe.state.nj.us • Private Schools for the Disabled: evvrs-psd@doe.state.nj.us • Tech Support Phone: 609-292-1288 • Using the EVVRS, DVD • User Manual, FAQs

28. EVVRS Revision for 2009-10 • What would you like to see • added, • changed and/or • Deleted? • What kind of reports would be most useful? • E-mail evvrs@doe.state.nj.us with ideas

29. April EVVRS TrainingRepeat of February Training • 23rd Kenilworth Inn • 29th Robert Wood Johnson • 30th Gloucester Co. Office, Sewell • AM & PM sessions planned • Register @ http://education.state.nj.us/events/