TPC _Journal-Vol6_Issue_3-MTSS-Full_Issue

The Professional Counselor /Volume 6, Issue 3 273 Figure 2 . ODR by Ethnicity the first year of PBIS implementation. At the start of 2009, the leadership team became concerned about behavior reported on one of the school buses. The contracted school bus driver was reporting, through written bus reports to the administration, a number of behavioral infractions on the rides to and from school. This bus included many students who received free and reduced lunch and were in racial and ethnic minority groups, traveling to and from an inner city neighborhood 10 miles away from the school. The principal worked with the general manager of the bus company and put interventions in place as part of PBIS, including meetings with the driver, principal, and translator in the cafeteria, and student–bus driver meetings, as well as letters to parents. It became apparent the problem was less about student behavior and more about equity—the bus was overcrowded. The principal shared concerns with the superintendent and the superintendent engaged in conversations with the bus company. Because the school as a whole had embraced PBIS and documenting data and steps to problem-solve, leaders at the district level were motivated to intervene. The district had funds and added a new bus route for students; bus referrals went down immediately. Discussion Research shows that PBIS is best implemented when considering the specific context of the school and needs of students and families (Fallon et al., 2012). The school in this case study demonstrated the intentional work that was needed to implement PBIS that was culturally responsive. The imple- mentation of culturally responsive practices led to fewer behavioral reports for students from His- panic backgrounds. Unfortunately, a disproportionate number of African American students received ODRs even after the implementation of culturally responsive PBIS, which is in line with previous 5 4 6 27 39 28 27 28 24 31 24 34 21 14 55 7 30 7 27 6 11 6 30 7 31 82 39 65 31 64 46 66 65 63 46 59 48 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Enrollment ODR Enrollment ODR Enrollment ODR Enrollment ODR Enrollment ODR Enrollment ODR 2008–2009 2009–2010 2010–2011 2011–2012 2012–2013 2013–2014 Disproportionality by Ethnicity Whites/Asians Blacks Hispanics