Bend-La Pine Schools has a new Task Force on School Climate and Culture, in response to concerns raised by teachers.

The District’s Assistant Director of Student Services Eric Powell says the group of teachers and staff has met four times so far to talk about students causing disruptions.

“…saying inappropriate things, harassing peers, and things like that. And our teachers just want to know what the protocol is, what are our expectations of the district to address these behaviors. A lot of times these are skills that students need to grow and build, and that’s our job as educators. But it’s really difficult at times to do that in a classroom. So how do we work as a team to help these students develop these skills, but also keep our teachers and the other students safe at the same time.”

Powell says they are working towards better communication between teachers and administrators to ensure schools are safe, welcoming, and inclusive learning environments.

The task force will meet through the summer to finalize those protocols. 

“Moving into this year we want to have clear expectations on what good teaching looks like, what is expected of our students in the classroom. And if a teacher is having behavioral concerns with a student, what is a predictable administration response so that the teacher can feel supported,” Powell says.