VADIR Update

1
VADIR Update

• New York State Center for School Safety
• Summer 2009

2
VADIR Review

• 20 Categories
• Violent Incidents
• Disruptive Incidents
• Mandatory Reporting ()
• Weighted ()
• Item 2 Other Information Regarding Intimidation,
  Harassment, Menacing and Bullying (IHMB)
• Thresholds for reporting incidents in categories
  9-13, 16 and 20

3
Review of Reporting Thresholds

• Referral to counseling
• Teacher removal (formal 3214 hearing)
• Suspension from class or activities
• In-school equivalent of one full day
• Activities or transportation for five (5)
  consecutive school days

4
Review of Reporting Thresholds

• Out of school suspension for the equivalent of
  one full day
• Transfer to alternative setting
• Transfer to law enforcement

5
VADIR Categories() Mandatory () Weighted
() Both

• 1. Homicide ()
• 2. Sexual Offenses
• 2.1 Forcible Compulsion ()
• 2.2 Other Sex Offenses ()
• 3. Robbery ()
• 4. Assault w/Serious Physical Injury ()

6
VADIR Categories() Mandatory () Weighted
() Both

• 5. Arson ()
• 6. Kidnapping ()
• 7. Assault with Physical Injury ()
• 8. Reckless Endangerment ()

7
VADIR Categories() Mandatory () Weighted
() Both

• 9. Minor Altercation
• 10. Intimidation, Harassment, Menacing or
  Bullying (IHMB)
• 11. Burglary
• 12. Criminal Mischief

8
VADIR Categories() Mandatory () Weighted
() Both

• 13. Larceny or Other Theft Offenses
• 14. Bomb Threat ()
• 15. False Alarm ()
• 16. Riot

9
VADIR Categories() Mandatory () Weighted
() Both

• 17. Weapons () Weapons Possession Defined
  (two categories)
• 17.1 Weapons Confiscated through Routine
  Security
• Checks Upon Entry to Building (scanning
• devices)
• 17.2 Weapons Found under Other Circumstances
• 18. Use, Possession or Sale of Drugs Only ()
• 19. Use, Possession or Sale of Alcohol Only()
• 20. Other Disruptive Incidents

10
Other Information Section Incidents Involving
IHMB

• Item 2 Any IHMB incident that comes to the
  attention of the principal or administrator of
  discipline, but does not rise to the disciplinary
  threshold level.
• Document with brief notation and check mark in
  Individual Form.
• Use of Item 2 logs notebooks

11
Reporting an Incident
Incidents should be reported once in the highest
ranking category of offense that applies.

• Reportable
• Violent or Disruptive Incident (Category 1-20)
• On school grounds or school function
• Meets or exceeds the discipline threshold for
  certain incident categories
• Reportable under ALL Circumstances
• Categories 1-8, 14, 15, 17, 18 and 19 are
  reportable in ALL circumstances, whether or not
  the perpetrator is known and regardless of
  disciplinary or referral action.
• Categories 9-13, 16 and 20 if a weapon is
  involved.
• Reportable under CERTAIN Circumstances
  Categories 9-13,16 and 20
• Reportable if the incident resulted in a
  disciplinary action that meets the threshold
  (known perpetrator) or
• Reportable if the incident would have resulted in
  a disciplinary action that meets the threshold
  had the perpetrator been known (unknown
  perpetrator).

12
VADIR Reporting

• Individual Incident Reporting Form
• Use information from the source document
• Summary Reporting Form
• District Incident Reporting Form Only to be used
  when an incident is not linked to a specific
  building

13
Elements to Report

• School Name
• Description Critical
• Incident Category (1-20)
• Date and Time
• Location
• On/off property before, during or after school
  hours
• Gang or Bias-related

14
Elements to Report, continued

• Victims (Enrolled Students, Personnel, Others)
• Offenders and consequences
• Weapons type
• Number of students suspended for firearms
• Date of report signature
• Summary form must have Superintendent signature

15
Clearly Describe the Incident

• Be specific about what happened
• List details of injuries, if any
• Note the conclusion of the incident

16
Clearly Describe the Incident

• Unclear Two students were involved in a fight.
• Is it a 4, 7, 9 or 10?
• Clear Jenny called Roses boyfriend names so
  Rose hit Jenny in the mouth causing it to bleed.
  Jenny went to the hospital where she received
  four stitches.

17
VADIR is

• An INCIDENT based
• reporting system
• NOT
• a STUDENT based
• reporting system.

18
Records Retention

• Report and Summary information must be retained
  until the youngest person involved in the
  incident(s) is 27 years old.
• Persistently Dangerous schools may need to
  retain longer.
• Question and Answer Document 3.

19
Categories of Particular Concern

• Category 2.2 Other Sexual Offenses
• One student pulled down another students pants
  while in the cafeteria.
• On the school bus, a 4th grade student touched a
  2nd grade student on her private area on the
  outside of her pants.
• A 13 year old student consents to sex in the
  locker room with an 18 year old student.

20
Categories of Particular Concern

• Category 7 Assault Resulting in physical Injury
• Two students were involved in a physical
  confrontation both received scrapes and minor
  bruises to their faces.
• Four boys were involved in a physical
  confrontation and were seen by the nurse. One boy
  had a black and blue mark on his arm and another
  student had a black eye.

21
Categories of Particular Concern

• Category 8 Reckless Endangerment
• A student leaves school in an angry state and
  begins driving his car erratically in the school
  parking lot. He comes close to damaging other
  vehicles and students who are required to jump
  out of the way.
• A student would not stop choking another student
  until the boys face turned red and he gasped for
  breath.
• A student became involved in a name-calling
  incident with another student and chased him
  around the classroom. The teacher asked her to
  stop. She continued to chase the other student,
  picked up a metal stool and threw it at him.

22
Categories of Particular Concern

• Common objects reported as weapons Consider the
  size, shape and weight of the object and whether
  or not the object can cause serious physical
  injury or death.
• A student threw a rock that hit a teachers car
  while the teacher was in it.
• A student stabbed another classmate in the face
  with a pencil, leaving a lead trace and a
  reddened surface scratch on the student's face.

23
Resources

• NYSED Website
• Safe Schools and Alternative Education
• http//www.emsc.nysed.gov/ssae/schoolsafety/vadir/
  data
• Forms http//www.emsc.nysed.gov/irts/vadir/
• New York State Center for School Safety
• Beth Mastro or Sherry Runk- emastro_at_mhric.org
  srunk_at_mhric.org
• 845-255-8989 scss_at_mhric.org
• http//nyscenterforschoolsafety.org/vadir.html
• http//vadir.blogspot.com/
• Facebook Page

24
Resources Continued

• Regional Student Support Services Centers
• Long Island Susan Kessler
• [phone]
• Eastern/Capital Region Erin Brewer or Pat Gogol
• [phone]
• Mid-West Region Joan Vitkus
• [phone]
• Mid-State Region Lee Beals
• [phone]
• Hudson Valley Region Tammy Rhein
• [phone]
• Western Region Jane Ogilvie
• [phone]
• BOCES Representative