By Rhys Baker

USD 379’s Lincoln Elementary School has hired a behavior specialist to work with kids of all ages in the Pre-K through third-grade school. USD 379 Community Connections Coordinator Matt Weller explains why the position was started at Lincoln School.

“Every year, we have a survey that staff fills out. And consistently, for the past few years, they have said at Lincoln that one of the things they needed more support for was strong behaviors. Not just your your everyday stuff. I mean, more of the aggressive behaviors that some kids show.”

The Behavior Specialist is a proactive role as opposed to a reactive role. The specialist has allowed the counselor to focus on counseling the teachers in the classroom to continue teaching instead of stopping to help the student exhibiting the behavior and make the kids more successful overall. Weller explains, “Yes, she deals with behaviors when they happen, but really, it’s a lot about being proactive and trying to find ways to avoid them. So there it’s a combination of both. She’s supporting the teachers and those students when those behaviors happen, but she’s also helping in the classrooms, pulling them out of the classrooms when they’re not escalated, and just teaching them ways to help manage that.”

Lincoln School’s Behavior Specialist, Jennifer Davies, joined the staff after having a similar role in the Junction City School District.