Education Service Center, Region 20 (ESC-20)

The Behavior and Discipline Program is a part of the ESC-20 Special Education Support Services Component and serves the educational community in increasing student success. Our goal is to provide quality staff development and technical assistance to help families and schools positively change student behavior and improve student achievement.

Training and support focuses on providing positive behavioral strategies for students receiving services through district Special Education programs, students displaying severe behavior in the classroom, and those assigned to an alternative education setting. This program supports all processes and principles addressed in the Texas Behavior Support Initiative.

In addition, this program offers training and support in the following areas:

Behavior strategies for families: Resources;
Bullying prevention: Resources;
Behavior management strategies for all classrooms where student behavior is causing a disruption in the learning process: Resources ;
Teaching strategies to motivate the student with behavior challenges in the classroom: Resources;
Best practices for teachers of students with severe emotional and behavioral disorders (SEBDs), including educating students with SEBD’s in less restrictive settings: Resources;
Texas Education Code Chapter 37 and other legal issues for administrators and central office personnel: Resources;
Best practices for Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs (DAEPs) and Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Programs (JJAEPs): Resources;
Training delivered on-site and developed specifically to meet the behavior challenges specific to a district or campus; and
Technical Assistance Package designed in a specific strategic way to meet the needs of all stakeholders:

TA Package 18 19.pdf

Download file

Behavior/Discipline Resources

Texas Education Agency Chapter 37-Safe Schools website

TEC Chapter 37 information

Social & Emotional Learning (SEL)

Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)

Social and Emotional Learning Articles

SEL in Elementary School

Second Step and Social-Emotional Learning

Research-Based Curricula for Social Skills

Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators

Social & Emotional Climate

7 strategies of support:

Count to 10. While you are counting, take SLOW deep breaths… BREATH IN SERENITY and EXHALE DISTRESS.
Name the stress, write it down – just free write what it is, how it shows up for you, and what affect it has on you – physically and emotionally. Then brainstorm solutions to combat future challenges.
Mindfulness. Incorporate a 5 minute daily practice. Try freemindfulness.org
Want to practice on the go – Headspace and Calm are two apps you can download. You may need to try different options to find the style and length of practice that returns you to a calm centered state.
Take a walk. Being in nature really is good for the soul. If you can’t get to green, a walk around the block is beneficial too. Park in the farthest space in the parking lot and use that time to set your intentions for the day.
Exercise, anything from yoga to cross fit. Find what works for your body’s ability and build in as many practices as you can in a week.
Self-care, eat well, stay hydrated, create good sleep habits, build positive connections with family/friends, ditch technology one night per week.
Set NEW goals and priorities. Be completely realistic with your own expectations. Use micro goals along the way to keep on track and celebrate successes along the way.

Challenge yourself over the next 30 days to incorporate 1-2 of these strategies or recommit if you have gotten out of practice. Imagine how freeing it will be when you are able to act in stressful situation vs. reacting out of stress.

Texas Behavior Support Initiative

To help our state navigate the law and implement its guidelines consistently, the The Texas Behavior Support (TBS) network has developed a Discipline Flowchart for Students with Disabilities.

Senate Bill 1196 established the Texas Behavior Support Initiative and defines seclusion, restraint, and time-out and involves ongoing training of campus teams and staff in crisis prevention and intervention, time-out, and restraint. For more information, visit The Texas Behavior Support (TBS) network or Contact Cheri Kahn

States are obligated under federal statute and regulation (20 U.S.C. 1418 (d) and 34 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §300.646) to collect and examine data to determine whether significant disproportionality based on race or ethnicity is occurring in the state and the LEAs of the state with respect to:

the identification of students as students with disabilities, ages 6-21, including identification as students with particular impairments;
the placement of students in particular educational settings; and
the incidence, duration, and type of disciplinary actions occurring for students, including suspensions and expulsions.

Training and technical assistance are available to assist districts in addressing the issues related to disproportionate representation in special education. For more information, visit the Disproportionality web page.

Training Opportunities

Visit Connect20 for available training dates and times.