Creating Discipline, Incidents, and Referrals

Student Discipline data, including suspension and expulsion records, is vital for satisfying federal requirements under the Safe and Gun-Free Schools Act and for maintaining compliance with California Department of Education reporting mandates.

Table of Contents

• Overview of Required Data
• Special Education Student Considerations
• Reporting Requirements for Summer School Students
• Steps to Create a Disciplinary Incident
• Quick Reference Guide: Discipline Fields
• Important Notes and Tips

Overview of Required Data

Aggregated, non-identifiable data is published on the California Department of Education’s DataQuest website, offering insights into suspension and expulsion rates in California public schools.

Program staff must submit the following information for CALPADS reporting:

• Behavioral Incidents: Events committed by students during the academic year.
• Incident Occurrence Date: Incidents must be reported in the academic year they occurred.
• Students Involved: Students tied to each incident.
• Offenses: List of offenses per incident, with the most severe offense identified.
• Disciplinary Actions: Actions taken per student, per incident.
• Duration: The length of disciplinary actions per student, per incident.
• Weapon Involvement: Whether the incident involved weapons.

Additional Requirements for Special Education Students:

• Authority imposing the disciplinary action.
• Duration of disciplinary action(s).
• Instructional support provided during disciplinary action.
• Removal to an interim alternative educational setting, if applicable.

Summer School Reporting:

• LEAs should submit offenses for students in summer school programs, even if they are not primarily enrolled in that school. A secondary enrollment should be created for such students, and the disciplinary incident submitted to CALPADS.

Steps to Create a Disciplinary Incident

Navigation Options:

• From the Student List: Hover over a student’s name and click on Discipline.
• From the Student Dashboard: Click on the Discipline Tab.
• From Admin: Navigate to Admin > Student Info > Disciplinary Incidents.
  

Creating an Incident:

1. Add a New Incident:
   • Click the Add Incident button or search for an existing incident using date parameters.
2. Complete Required Fields (indicated by a red asterisk *):
   • Incident Title *.
   • Reporting Staff Member (if applicable).
   • Date of the Incident *.
   • Incident Status (Active/Inactive): This does not affect reporting status but helps track the incident.
3. Attach Students:
   • Select the student(s) involved in the incident.
   • Add parents/guardians to the Parent Call List.
4. Parent Notification:
   • Enter the date/time the parent/guardian was contacted or leave blank for unsuccessful attempts.
   • Add call notes/details.
5. Detailed Description:
   • Provide a full, detailed description of the incident in the provided text box.
   • Save the incident.
   

Quick Reference Guide: Discipline Fields

Below is a detailed guide to the discipline fields available when creating a disciplinary record:

• Disciplinary Action:
  Specify the type of action taken (e.g., suspension, expulsion).

• Discipline Reason Code:
  Select the state-defined reason for the disciplinary action.
  Tip: Click the blue code link to view an expanded list of state codes.

• Weapon Type:

  • If the offense involved a weapon, select the appropriate state code.
  • Note:
    • Imitation firearms (Student Offense Code 102) are not considered weapons—leave this field blank.
    • Explosives (Student Offense Code 105) are considered firearms; the weapon type must be populated.
    • Refer to CALPADS Valid Code Combinations for guidance.

• Most Severe Offense for Incident:
  Reflects the most severe offense committed during an incident.

  • Important: This code is reported on every record for all students involved, even if the specific student did not commit the most severe offense.

• Disallow Attendance:

  • Select this option to disallow student attendance for the entire duration of the disciplinary action.

• Instructional Support:

  • Required for special education students.
  • Yes: Indicates the student is receiving instructional support (e.g., homework).
  • No: Indicates a complete cessation of educational services.

• Action Less than Full School Day:

  • Yes: Indicates the action lasted less than a full school day (e.g., half-day suspension).

• Last Day of Discipline Not Being a Full School Day:

  • Enter the duration in tenths if the final day of discipline was not a full school day.

• Expulsion Modification:

  • For offenses resulting in expulsion, select whether a modification was made to the expulsion.

• Discipline Action Authority:

  • Indicate the agency responsible for authorizing the disciplinary action.

• Removal to Interim Alternative Setting Reason:

  • Specify the type of removal applicable for special education students.

Important Notes and Tips

1. Ensure that all shaded fields with a red asterisk (*) are completed before saving.
2. Behavioral incidents and disciplinary actions should be reported for the academic year they occurred.
3. For multi-offense incidents, the most severe offense must always be highlighted in the record.
4. Quick Tip: The parent/guardian name appears at the top of the screen when entering an incident—use it to ensure accurate contact information.