II.+Training+and+Professional+Development


 * II. TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT **

// The Plan must reflect the requirements under M.G.L. c. 71, § 37O to provide ongoing professional development for all staff, including but not limited to, educators, administrators, counselors, school nurses, cafeteria workers, custodians, bus drivers, athletic coaches, advisors to extracurricular activities, and paraprofessionals. The Plan should state the content and frequency of staff training and ongoing professional development as determined by the school’s or district’s needs, and list other topics to be included in these staff programs. The locally identified additional areas of training should be based on needs and concerns identified by school and district staff. //

// The law lists six topics that must be included in professional development. Additional topics may be identified by the school or district leadership as they consider the unique needs of the school or district community. Plans should also identify which trainings will be provided districtwide and which will be school-based. //


 * 1) __ Annual staff training on the Plan __ . Annual training for all school staff on the Plan will include staff duties under the Plan, an overview of the steps that the principal or designee will follow upon receipt of a report of bullying or retaliation, and an overview of the bullying prevention curricula to be offered at all grades throughout the school or district. Staff members hired after the start of the school year are required to participate in school-based training during the school year in which they are hired, unless they can demonstrate participation in an acceptable and comparable program within the last two years. Do we need specific plan or keep general? 11/11
 * 2) __ Ongoing professional development __ . The goal of professional development is to establish a common understanding of tools necessary for staff to create a school climate that promotes safety, civil communication, and respect for differences. Professional development will build the skills of staff members to prevent, identify, and respond to bullying. As required by M.G.L. c. 71, § 37O, the content of schoolwide anddistrictwide professional development will be informed by research and will include information on:

(i) developmentally (or age-) appropriate strategies to prevent bullying; (ii) developmentally (or age-) appropriate strategies for immediate, effective interventions to stop bullying incidents; (iii) information regarding the complex interaction and power differential that can take place between and among an aggressor, target, and witnesses to the bullying; (iv) research findings on bullying, including information about specific categories of students who have been shown to be particularly at risk for bullying in the school environment; (v) information on the incidence and nature of cyberbullying; and (vi) Internet safety issues as they relate to cyberbullying. Text Messages 11/11 Professional development will also address ways to prevent and respond to bullying or retaliation for students with disabilities that must be considered when developing students’ Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). This will include a particular focus on the needs of students with autism or students whose disability affects social skills development.

Additional areas identified by the school or district for professional development include:


 * promoting and modeling the use of respectful language;
 * fostering an understanding of and respect for diversity and difference;
 * building relationships and communicating with families;
 * constructively managing classroom behaviors;
 * using positive behavioral intervention strategies;
 * applying constructive disciplinary practices;
 * teaching students skills including positive communication, anger management, and empathy for others;
 * engaging students in school or classroom planning and decision-making; and
 * maintaining a safe and caring classroom for all students.
 * Adoption of a school wide program with common language for all staff (11/21/11)

C. __Written notice to staff__. The school or district will provide all staff with an annual written notice of the Plan by publishing information about it, including sections related to staff duties, in the school or district employee handbook and the code of conduct.