TULSA, Okla. — A Sand Springs assistant principal is the Oklahoma Assistant Principal of the Year by the Oklahoma Association of Secondary School Principals.
He's being recognized for the ways he's transformed student behavior outcomes, specifically long-term suspensions.
“Over 96 percent of our long-term suspensions were always drug offenses… so that’s exactly what we attacked," Timothy Ray, assistant principal for Charles Page High School said.
When Ray saw the need he took action. Three years ago, he launched "We Always Return with Purpose," a program designed to reduce the number of drug and alcohol-related suspensions on his school's campus.
“We would have anywhere between 18 to 24 let’s say per year on average and that had been that way until we started the program. We’ve reduced it to about five or six long-term suspensions per year now," Ray said.
That is a nearly 80 percent decrease in long-term suspensions, but Ray said he sees real success when he looks at what happens after each student completes the Warp program. He said so far, less than five percent of those students end up back in suspension. He said it's because they have a solid support system, where they meet with mentors throughout the semester until they graduate.
In the program, students go through a two-day course, develop a SMART goal, and return to the classroom in two weeks rather than nine, something teachers said is key.
“Being able to come back before that class has moved on too far without you, you’ve lost that level of comfort… I think it’s really an important thing," instructional coach Heather Miller said.
The program helped Ray get recognition from the Oklahoma Association of Secondary School Principals, which named him assistant principal of the year. However,
Ray said the recognition belongs to his fellow educators.
“It’s been really great because we’ve been able to recognize our teachers and how much grace they’re willing to give us to work with students as we intervene," Ray said.
Trending Stories:
- Mountain lion spotted wandering around Osage County
- DOWNLOAD the 2 News Oklahoma app for alerts
- Tyler Lockett's 'Light It Up' donates new jeans, backpacks to Tulsa Day Center
- FOLLOW 2 News Oklahoma on Facebook
- Price hikes issued for ONG customers
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Twitter
