Categories of Behavior Descriptors and Responses

The following lists combine the Categories of Student Behavior Descriptors and the Levels of Administrative Responses (SBAR) to facilitate the equitable, responsive application of student conduct standards. School boards are encouraged to differentiate responses to behavior for elementary and secondary students. SBAR stands for “student behavior, administrative response.” The SBAR codes were developed by the Virginia Board of Education and are incorporated in its Model Guidance for Positive and Preventive Code of Student Conduct Policy and Alternatives to Suspension, with which public school divisions must comply. The behavior categories are designed to recognize the impact student behavior has on the school environment and on learning. They encourage awareness for administrators, teachers, parents, and counselors of students’ social-emotional development and emphasize the importance of helping students achieve academically and develop social-emotional learning competencies.

Category A: Behaviors that Impede the Academic Progress (BAP)

Behaviors in this category impede the academic progress of the student or of other students. They are typically indicative of the student’s lack of self-management or self-awareness. Sometimes, the student may need help in understanding how the behavior impacts others so training in social awareness may also be indicated. For elementary students, level one responses are recommended for these behaviors. For secondary students, level one or level two responses are recommended. These behaviors should not involve or be reported to law enforcement.

Category B: Behaviors Related to School Operations (BSO)

These behaviors interfere with the daily operation of school procedures. Students exhibiting these behaviors may need to develop self-management, self-awareness, or social awareness skills. Recommended responses to these behaviors for elementary and secondary students range from level one to level three. These behaviors do not require a report to law enforcement.

Category C: Relationship Behaviors (RB)

Behaviors in this category create a negative relationship between two or more members of the school community (no physical harm is done). Relationship behaviors affect the whole school community in that the school climate is often a reflection of how people treat one another. Students who exhibit difficulty with relationship behaviors may also have difficulty with the other social-emotional competencies. For elementary and secondary students, recommended responses to these behaviors range from level one to level three. These behaviors do not require a report to law enforcement.

Category D: Behaviors of a Safety Concern (BSC)

Behaviors in this category create unsafe conditions for students, staff, and/or visitors to the school. The range of recommended responses for elementary and secondary students is noted in parentheses and should be based on the age and development of the student and the harm caused by the behavior. The underlying reasons for this type of behavior may lie in any of the social-emotional competencies so the administrator should investigate the underlying motivation for the student’s behavior. Training in social awareness and decision-making is usually indicated in any behavior that creates a safety concern. Behaviors that are felony offenses require a report to law enforcement.

Category E: Behaviors that Endanger Self or Others (BESO)

Behaviors in this category endanger the health, safety, and/or welfare of either the student or others in the school community. Behaviors that rise to this level of severity are often complex. While they are indicative of poor decision-making skills, students who exhibit these behaviors may also have developmental needs in the other social-emotional competencies. Recommended responses for all students range from level one to level five, depending upon the age and development of the student and the danger caused by the behavior. The range of recommended responses is noted in parentheses. Behaviors that are felony offenses require a report to law enforcement.

Category F: Persistently Dangerous Behaviors (PDB)

These behaviors are used in calculations to identify a school as persistently dangerous. “The incidents to be used as measures for determining persistently dangerous public schools are those violent crimes and offenses against a person and the possession of drugs with intent to distribute or sell, all designated as felonies in the criminal section of the Code of Virginia (Title 18.2).” These behaviors require a report to the superintendent’s office and law enforcement and should be addressed in a manner consistent with a level 5 response.