Discipline
From online discipline referrals to reports that merge discipline data with demographic, attendance, exceptional student education and assessment data, Focus provides a single source to manage discipline data.
Administrators have the option of creating referrals and processing the disciplinary action separately. This is helpful in the event an investigation needs to be conducted before a disciplinary action can be determined.
1. Go to the Discipline menu and select Add Referral.
2. Enter the name or ID number for the student for whom the referral is being entered.
3. Click Search and if applicable, click on the student name in the search results.
4. Complete the referral fields. Required fields are marked by a red asterisk, highlighted red, and display in the Errors section.
Clicking on an Error will shortcut to that required field.
The Discipline Code may be edited even after the referral has been saved.
The disciplinary action is entered on the Action Records logging fields.
Pressing the enter/return key creates a new Action Record row, if multiple actions will be assigned. The row(s) will stay yellow until the Save button is clicked.
Scroll to select any additional fields that may be relevant to the selected discipline code.
5. Check Reviewed by Administrator at the top of the referral.
The referral is not “Processed” until the Reviewed by Administrator check box has been checked. This will remove the portal alert for the administrator. In Focus, “Reviewed by Administrator” and “Processed” mean the same thing.
The Closed without Processing check box does not apply when the administrator is creating the referral. This is applicable to teacher-submitted referrals and allows the administrator to close the referral without assigning an action.
Reviewed by Administrator and Closed without Processing check boxes may not be checked at the same time as they are contradictory.
Minor Infraction is used if the Discipline Code does not require or warrant an Action.
6. Click Save.
The referral can be submitted without entering a disciplinary action record or checking the “Reviewed by Administrator” box in the event more information is required and the administrator must delay processing the referral. The referral will not save without selecting a Discipline Code or other required fields.
Enter a disciplinary referral for a student observed misbehaving in the hallway.
The Victims table is used to document the victims of an aggressor student. When the “Prevent Co-Enrollment” check box is selected on the entry, the aggressor cannot be enrolled in the victim’s school for the defined period. A warning message will display on the Add a Student screen indicating the student cannot be enrolled because they are an aggressor of the victim student.
1. In the Victims table on the referral, enter the victim’s Student ID.
2. Select a Start Date and End Date.
3. (Optional) Enter any Comments, if needed.
4. Hope Scholarship pull-down may be included to track students who have been offered that option as a result of bullying/harassment, etc.
5. Select Prevent Co-Enrollment to prevent the aggressor from being enrolled in the victim’s school in the time frame defined in the Start Date and End Date fields. If no end date is entered, the aggressor cannot be enrolled in the victim’s school for an indefinite period of time.
6. Press the Enter key to add the entry.
The aggressor student will need to be manually withdrawn from the school as this is not an automatic process. When Prevent Co-enrollment is checked and a drop date is entered for the aggressor student, a red error message “Victim/Aggressor Restriction” displays in the Errors panel on the Enrollment screen. When Prevent Co-enrollment is not checked and a future drop date is entered for the aggressor student, a yellow warning message “Victim/Aggressor Restriction” displays in the Errors panel and can be dismissed. If a past drop date is entered, no warning or error displays.
If the district is utilizing the Special Student Services (SSS) module for Threat Assessment and/or Bullying & Harassment, fields can be enabled on the referral that would link to the SSS module where those options can be completed if the student’s behavior requires a Florida Standardized Behavioral Threat Assessment and/or the provision of a Hope Scholarship notification form. Additionally, if the student has had previous Threat Assessments or Hope Scholarship notifications, a list will display in the pull-down on the referral as well.
In the Alerts section of the administrator’s portal page, an alert may indicate the number of new (unprocessed) referrals if teachers are entering referrals or if the administrator created referrals but did not check Reviewed by Administrator. If an Administrator has been assigned a Student Group, the Alerts will only include alerts for students in the assigned group.
1. Click on the Alerts link to see a list of the unprocessed referrals created by any administrator. This number will also include referrals entered by teachers if the school has enabled that option.
2. The referrals screen opens showing a list of all unprocessed referrals.
3. Click the student name to select the referral to be processed.
The referral form displays the information entered by the teacher or administrator.
4. Select a Discipline Code from the drop-down (this may already be selected on referrals created by an administrator) as well any relevant fields.
5. Complete the Action Records Entry logging field (fields vary by district).
a. Action: Select from drop-down. There might be a few predetermined Actions for the chosen Discipline Code.
b. Date: Enter date the action was decided (may or may not be the same as the start date of the consequences).
c. Date Begins & Date Ends: Enter dates for the selected action. The system will automatically calculate the Length of Action and this accounts for non-school days as well. This is particularly important for ISS and OSS actions.
Alternate option: Enter the Date Begins and then the Length of Action and the system will automatically generate the Date Ends.
Dates can be modified if the dates differ from what the student actually serves.
d. Attendance Code: If applicable. Typically tied to In-School or Out-of-School Suspensions but can also include other district-defined disciplinary absences.
The student’s attendance record will automatically update with the applicable attendance code from the start date through the end date of the action.
The attendance code also displays for teachers on the student’s schedule.
Teachers will be unable to edit this code when taking attendance and if a teacher has already entered an attendance code, it will be overridden by the referral code.
If an administrator enters the discipline attendance code and date(s) on the referral, the code (OSS or ISS) will display on the student in the attendance module.
If a discipline attendance code needs to be updated for future date(s), it only needs to be updated on the referral.
If a discipline attendance code needs to be updated for the current date, it will need to be adjusted on both the referral and attendance administration.
6. Reviewed by Administrator: Check the box to finalize referral processing. Unchecked, the referral will remain unprocessed and will continue to display in the Alerts block.
7. Click Save.
Once an administrator processes a referral, the teacher receives a portal alert indicating the referral was processed. Teachers only see referrals they have submitted.
Process Referrals: Use the Portal Alert to access the list of unprocessed referrals. Process the referral that was created in Activity 1.
This option allows administrators to combine multiple referrals for the same student into one referral and apply one disciplinary action. Only unprocessed referrals with no disciplinary action assigned and not Reviewed by Administrator can be merged. The referral with the assigned disciplinary action becomes the parent referral.
1. Begin with the unprocessed referral that will be merged into the parent referral.
2. Click the green Settings icon.
3. Click the Merge button.
4. Check the box next to the referral that will be the parent referral. Only one referral can be selected.
5. Click Merge Into.
A confirmation box displays the ID number of the parent referral.
6. Click Close.
7. To view the merged referrals or unmerge referrals, click the green Settings button.
8. Click the Merge button to view the list of previously merged referrals.
9. Click Unmerge to unmerge the referrals.
It is helpful to note that when merging referrals, only the parent referral will keep the reporter’s name and the description of the incident/behavior. To maintain the reporter(s) and/or description(s) from the merged referrals it is possible to copy that information from the merged (child) referrals in to the description field or the Action Notes field on the parent referral.
When multiple students are involved in a single incident, administrators can create one referral and then duplicate that referral for the other students. This will create a separate referral that has all the copied information except for the action for each student.
1. Go to the Discipline menu and select Add Referral.
2. Enter the name or student ID of the involved student.
3. Complete the referral, including the disciplinary action.
4. Click Save.
5. A pop-up window displays; click Go to Referral.
6. Click the green Settings icon then click Duplicate.
7. A student search box will display in a pop-up window. Use the search bar to search for the student(s) or click Simple List to view all students in the school.
8. Check the boxes next to the correct student names.
9. Click Duplicate.
A pop-up window displays confirming the referral was duplicated
10. Click on a student’s ID to open their referral on a new tab and assign their disciplinary action.
11. Close the new tab and return to the list of duplicated referrals to select the next student (if applicable). Repeat the previous steps to duplicate referrals, as needed.
12. Click Close when finished to return the original referral.
Referrals can be deleted by users with the profile permission to delete referrals. Referrals that have been processed and referrals linked to a discipline incident cannot be deleted.
1. On the referral that will be deleted, click the green Settings icon.
2. Select Delete.
3. In the confirmation message, click Delete.
Administrators can send a referral back to the originator when corrections are needed. The administrator can add a comment on why it is being sent back. A Portal alert will display to the originator indicating a referral was returned with comments. When the referral is opened, the comment will display at the top of the referral form and will remain until the referral is updated. When a referral is sent back for correction, it does not count against the student until the referral is sent back to the administrator.
1. On the referral being sent back for correction, click the green Settings icon at the top of the screen.
2. Click Send Back.
3. In the pop-up window, enter a Comment and click Send Back.
The teacher will receive a portal alert prompting the correction.
When a referral is sent back for correction, “Returned” will display in the “Processed” column when viewing the referrals list.
A discipline referral can be closed without processing when the system preference “Enable Closing of Unprocessed Referrals” is enabled. Unlike deleting a referral, closed referrals are still available in Focus for viewing. When a referral is closed, it is indicated at the top of the referral form, along with any comments entered by the user who closed the referral.
1. On the referral that will be closed, click the green Settings icon at top of screen.
2. Click Close Without Processing.
3. Enter a comment and click Close.
The comment is displayed at the top of the referral form.
A referral that has been closed without processing will have a green check mark in the Closed field.
This will not send an alert to the Reporter/Teacher, Parents or Students when selected.
Students assigned a discipline referral for a detention through the tardy tracking functionality will display on the Detention List. Students who receive a non-tardy detention as a consequence on the referral action record will also display on the Detention List.
The Detention check box must be selected for the detention action on the Action tab in Referral Codes & Actions for the student to be added to the Detention List once that is assigned to the student.
Locate an unprocessed referral or create a referral for a student and assign Detention for 2 days as the Action.
Administrators/staff with permission to edit the Detention List will be able to check in students as they attend Detention. Once served, they can be marked Completed, which will update the Action logging field on the referral. This is applicable for students receiving referrals from Tardy Tracking and students assigned Detention as a consequence for behavior.
1. Select Discipline, then click Detention List.
Students who have a pending detention are displayed, along with the referral reason (discipline code), the action that was assigned, the assigned date, the due date, the length of action, and the days completed. The due date is highlighted in red if it has passed.
2. Select Completed to mark a detention as completed for the applicable student.
3. Click Save.
For students with a one day detention (Length of Action equals one), the Days Completed field will update to one.
The Completed field will populate with today’s date. Once the screen is refreshed, the student is removed from the list.
Click on the Student name to view the referral before refreshing the screen:
The Action Record Notes will update with the date the detention was served.
The Days Completed will increment by 1 for each day completed.
1. Select Discipline and then click Detention List.
2. Select Show Completed at the top of the screen. The list is updated to include completed detentions.
The Completed column displays the date the detention was marked as completed. Any detentions that have not been completed will have the blank check box in the Completed column.
When a SESIR Discipline Code is selected on the referral form, an error message displays on the right panel. Clicking the error message will give the administrator the option to link the referral to an existing Discipline Incident form or create a new one. If the system preference has been enabled, administrators can link a SESIR to any school within the district when adding a referral.
A School Environmental Safety Incident Reporting (SESIR) incident is an incident that is against the law or represents serious breaches of the code of student conduct and is reported to the state of Florida.
1. When creating or processing the referral, select a SESIR code from the Primary Discipline Code pull-down.
2. Complete the referral and select Click here to complete SESIR.
3. A pop-up displays the SESIR form.
4. Follow the steps below for Add New or Link.
This allows the administrator to create a new SESIR. If there is a SESIR incident involving multiple students, the administrator can Create a New SESIR for the first referral that is entered and the next referral(s) involved in the event can be Linked.
1. Click Add New.
2. Complete the relevant and required fields on the SESIR form.
3. Click Save.
A referral can be linked to an existing SESIR at the current school or, if the system preference has been enabled, the referral can be linked to a SESIR incident that was recorded at a different school in the district.
1. Click the Link tab at the top of the screen.
2. Check the radio button to select the Incident that should be linked to the referral.
3. Click the green Link button.
If the system preference "Enable All Schools checkbox when linking a SESIR" is enabled, the "All Schools" check box is displayed in the Link tab. Select the check box to display SESIR incidents from all schools.
When it has been determined that a Discipline Incident form should NOT have been created, any linked referrals must first be unlinked before the Discipline Incident can be deleted.
The Delete option will be grayed-out on any Discipline Incident that has linked referrals. If referrals have NOT been linked, the Delete option will be available.
1. Go to the Discipline menu and select Discipline Incidents.
2. Locate and click on the ID number for the Discipline Incident to be deleted.
3. On the next screen, click the green Settings icon in the top right of the screen.
4. Click Delete.
5. Confirm by clicking Delete in the pop-up.
1. Go to the Discipline menu and select Discipline Incidents.
2. Locate and click on the ID number for the Discipline Incident to be deleted.
3. Click the green Settings icon in the top right of the screen.
4. Notice that the Delete option is disabled. Click Link Referral to view the linked referrals.
5. In the top box labeled Linked, check the box(es) for the referral(s) to be unlinked.
6. At the bottom right, click the red Unlink button.
7. Click the green Settings icon when the pop-up closes and select the Delete option, which is now enabled.
8. Confirm by clicking Delete in the pop-up.
If letters are associated with the Discipline module, the letters will be available to print when after a referral has been saved.
1. At the top of referral, select a letter from the Print a Form/Letter pull-down.
2. A PDF preview of the letter displays where it can be downloaded or printed.
a. Click the down arrow to download the PDF.
b. Click the printer icon to print the letter.
3. Select one or more of the options to the right:
a. Email Student
b. Email Student Personal Email
c. Email Linked Users
d. Email Custodial Contacts
e. Send to Student Log
Sending the letter to the Student Log automatically creates a letter in the Letter Log student category, which will include a time stamp and printable version of the letter.
4. Click Send Letter after making selection(s).
5. Click Done when finished.
If letters are associated with the Discipline module, specific discipline letters can be set up to automatically generate for a student when certain discipline codes/actions are assigned on a student referral.
1. Go to the Discipline menu and select Referral Codes & Actions.
2. Select the Codes tab or Actions tab depending on the code or action that will trigger the letter.
3. Turn the Filter to ON and filter for the Code or Action. Scroll over to the Letter column and select the Discipline Letter to be auto generated when that code/action is selected on a student referral. Once a selection is made it will autosave.
4. Upon processing and saving a Discipline referral with a referral code/action that has been selected to trigger a letter, the letter will automatically display.
5. Select to print, download, send to email or send to Student Log.
Focus provides several built-in Discipline reports for administrators to view and analyze discipline data. The reports can be downloaded as excel spreadsheets or PDF documents.
The Students with Referrals report displays students with a particular number of referrals in the selected timeframe. In addition, More Search Options can be used to view data for a specific group of students, such as all ESE students.
1. Go to the Discipline menu and select Students with Referrals.
2. On the search screen, enter search criteria to display a particular student or group of students and click Search.
(Optional): Leave the search bar blank and click the Simple List or the Search button to return a list of all students with at least 1 referral.
3. Use the Display Students with at least pull-down to select the number of referrals. The page will automatically update to display the changes.
4. Adjust the Report Timeframe by clicking on Clear Selected then using the date drop-downs or calendar icons to select new dates and click Go to refresh the report.
5. Click Include Minor Infractions to include referrals that teachers and/or administrators have marked as Minor Infractions.
6. Click the Student name to open the Referrals screen for that student.
The Category Breakdown report displays graphs based on fields from the Referral form. The report can be viewed as a Column (bar graph), Pie Chart or List. The report allows for cross-referencing the discipline data against student demographics such as gender, race, and program participation.
1. Go to the Discipline menu and select Category Breakdown.
2. In the Please Select a Category pull-down, select the category of discipline data to view. The categories are based on fields from the referral form.
3. From the Breakdown Further? pull-down, select a student field to include.
Option: Click Advanced to enter criteria for a specific subgroup of students.
4. Modify the Report Timeframe as needed using the pull-down or calendar icons.
5. Click Go.
Option: Check Show Zero Items to include all fields in the report, even those with a zero value.
Option: Check Include Minor Infractions to include minor infractions in report if functionality is enabled for school.
6. Click the Column, Pie, or List tabs to view the graph as a column (bar graph), pie chart or list.
Option: For the Column graph or Pie chart, click Download to generate a printable graph.
Option: For the List, click the Export icon to export to Excel.
The Referral Log summarizes the discipline history of a student and is used primarily for official meetings such as manifestations or court hearings.
1. Go to the Discipline menu and select Referral Log.
2. Enter the student name, ID number, or use More Search Options to locate a subgroup of students.
3. On the right side of the screen, select Include All Referrals from All Years and All Schools if needed.
4. Select Include Unprocessed Referrals to include referrals that have not had Reviewed by Administrator checked or were Closed without Processing.
5. Select Include Minor Infractions to include minor infraction referrals on the report if enabled at the school.
6. Under Include in Referral Log, select each referral field to include on the log.
7. Select a Letterhead Template to print the log on a specific school or district letterhead.
8. To save the settings as the default for this letterhead, click Save Settings as Default.
9. Click Search.
10. Select the checkbox next to each student to include or click Select All at the top of the screen to select all students in the list.
11. Click Get Referrals.
The PDF preview is generated with each student’s log starting on a separate page.
12. Click Return to Focus to go back to the Referral Log screen.
