Reinventing school disciplinary practices involves redefining school safety and acknowledging the harm caused to Black and Brown students as a result of the “school-to-prison pipeline,” a name for what many people have experienced as students when incidents in schools have funneled them into the criminal legal system. With this in mind, BCPS security staff were given a new role — Bearcat coaches — and trained in de-escalation, mentorship, restorative practices and tactics for building trusting relationships.
Bearcat coaches carry a caseload of students who may benefit from an additional nurturing adult relationship and serve as a first point of contact with students who need extra behavioral help. Rather than sending a student into the hall or to the office, teachers can turn to a Bearcat coach to pull the student aside and talk through issues so they can rejoin class. This increases the amount of both teaching and learning time. The position was created in the first year of the transformation process, with 14 coaches hired across the district. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Bearcat coaches also served as an essential resource to help the district adjust and respond to the challenges of the moment, transitioning to cover classrooms in response to acute staffing needs in the 2021-22 school year. By year five, the number of Bearcat coaches increased to 27.