Positive Classroom Discipline

Tough Cases: Specialized Classrooms and Local Agencies

Extremely tough classroom discipline cases can sometimes require special programs. If you are at the stage of accessing these programs, then there will already be several others involved; certainly your principal, but also your counselor and most likely a district psychologist or behavior specialist as well.

Behaviorally-Impaired (BI) classrooms

Some districts have special classrooms set aside for kids who truly need extra attention to succeed in school. They may go by different names than "BI" but are all staffed with teachers trained specifically to deal with very difficult classroom behavior. These classrooms also maintain a lower student-to-teacher ratio.

Help request for elementary classroom discipline difficulty

Outpatient clinic-based treatment

These certainly do not exist in many, if not most areas. If you are fortunate enough to have a such a resource available, they can provide an extremely valuable service for families struggling with multiple behavioral and academic issues.

Here is a description of the program with which I am familiar, the BEST program administered by a childrens hospital.

Behavioral Education Skills Training (BEST) is a hospital-based day treatment program that provides intensive therapeutic treatment for boys and girls attending grade school, kindergarten through sixth grade. The five-week program is designed for children who have behavioral and emotional problems affecting relationships with family and friends and with school performance.

Your school counselor or district psychologist will know if you have a similar local resource.

County or State mental-health outreach

If they are low-income, the family of a tough discipline case may have access to local mental health programs that can help them gain treatment for diagnosed behavior conditions. Your counselor, psychologist or school nurse can help in this area.

Your classroom behavior plan requires the use of all available and appropriate resources to help the struggling child. Don't hesitate to ask about outside programs - they may be the missing link that makes the difference between success and frustration.