Lyndsey Fischer was recently named the district's new Administrator of Behavior/Mental Health Supports and Instruction. It's a long title and a new position within the district filled with responsibility to help educators, families, and students. Just a few of the measurable goals include decreasing the number of school discipline referrals and suspensions, increasing students receiving school and community mental health services, and increasing student engagement in school.
Fischer said she's excited about the challenge. Her role as middle school assistant principal last year focused largely on student behavior issues. "I'm just taking it to a larger scale and will work with the entire district," she said.
"This is an important role and continues meeting our recently updated strategic planning goals for the district," said Superintendent Robert Blitchok. "We want to deal with behavioral issues proactively and establish positive learning environments for all students. It's imperative for learning that students feel safe and have positive connections with teachers and staff."
He noted that state grant funds are being used to help with the cost of the new position.
Fischer sees her responsibilities as basically two-fold. The first part will be instruction where she will help in the classrooms and with teachers and bring back learning labs to assist students. A second part of the job will focus on mental health and the Multi-Tier Systems of Support (MTSS) with consistency throughout the distinct.
Several years ago the district implemented a Positive Behavior Support System (PBIS). This school-wide system offers proactive strategies for defining, teaching and supporting appropriate student behaviors that will help create positive school environments. It focuses on teaching and rewarding positive behaviors.
"There's an academic and a social piece to the new job," said Director of Curriculum Kim Chausow. "We're adding this new role to make our MTSS (Multi-Tier System of Support) and PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Support) efforts stronger and we plan on offering more supports for each building."
Fischer served two years as middle school assistant principal. Prior to that, she served as interim assistant principal at the high school one semester and taught health and physical education for 12 years at the high school.
She is a TK graduate and has spent all but one year of her teaching career in her home district.