3 District 196 Schools Just Won State Awards for How They Handle Behavior

TLDR

• Falcon Ridge Middle, Pinewood Community School and Thomas Lake Elementary earned state "exemplar" status for PBIS.
• 85% of District 196 schools now use PBIS. The high schools start next year.
• The goal is to fix a consistency gap: 89% of families say kids feel safe, but only 75% say rules are enforced the same way every time.
• At Falcon Ridge, 87% of students have three or fewer behavior incidents.

At Monday's District 196 school board meeting in Rosemount, three schools got a shoutout from the state for their behavior programs. The program is called PBIS, and it's now in almost every school in the district. If you've heard the name but aren't sure what it means, here's the plain-English version.

What PBIS Actually Is

PBIS stands for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports. In simple terms:

• Every school picks a few clear expectations, like "be safe, be respectful, be responsible."
• Adults teach those expectations the same way they'd teach math.
• Kids get noticed and rewarded when they follow them.
• When kids mess up, adults reteach the skill instead of jumping straight to punishment.
• Schools track data to see if it's working.

"The crux of PBIS is that we all have the same language about what is expected, and we all have a system for how we respond," said Falcon Ridge Principal Becky Melville.

It's not new. PBIS has been around for about 30 years, and Minnesota has used it statewide for two decades. You can read more on the Minnesota Department of Education's PBIS page.

Why the District Is Pushing It

District 196's family survey had a clue. 89% of families said their child feels safe at school. But only 75% said school rules are enforced the same way every time.

"While we have a strong foundation of safety, care and respect, we have an opportunity to strengthen consistency," said Rachel Hughes, director of instruction and achievement. PBIS is how the district plans to close that gap.

Inside Falcon Ridge: "The Falcon Way"

At Falcon Ridge Middle School in Apple Valley, it's called the Falcon Way: be safe, be respectful, be responsible.

• Every space in the school has its own list of what to do, from the hallways to the cafeteria to science lab.
• The lists use positive "what to do" language instead of a list of rules.
• They're printed on paper, not laminated, so staff and students can keep improving them.
• Teachers handle small issues in class. Trusted adults step in when a student needs more help.

The results? 87% of Falcon Ridge students have three or fewer behavior incidents. "That means that almost all of our kids are doing exactly what we want them to do," Melville said.

Inside Pinewood: Game Room Rewards and Safe Spaces

Pinewood Community School's values are be safe, be kind and be your best. Some of what they do:

• Pinewood Pod tickets reward kids for good choices and add up to class and schoolwide celebrations.
• A game room, launched last year and paid for entirely by parent donations. It has board games and card games, and no screens. Classes that hit their PBIS goal earn a 20-minute session. Staff love that it also teaches kids to take turns and manage their emotions.
• A safe space in every classroom where kids can calm down with tools like breathing balls, stress squishies and feelings charts.
• Restorative conversations when something goes wrong. Kids talk through what happened, what they were thinking, who was affected and how to make it right.

Where PBIS Is Headed in District 196

Here's how fast it's spreading:

• 2024-25: 50% of schools in PBIS training
• 2025-26: 71%
• 2026-27: 85%, including every elementary and middle school, plus the ALC and Transition Plus programs

The high schools begin next school year. Thomas Lake Elementary was honored again this year, and Falcon Ridge and Pinewood are the newest exemplar schools. See the full list on the Minnesota PBIS Sustaining Exemplar page.

Next, the district plans to add more coaching and keep checking that schools use PBIS the right way. It also wants to bring families into the planning. You can learn more at PBIS Minnesota.

What the Board Said

Vice Chair Anna Williams said she loves the growth mindset idea and joked, "Maybe that will put some therapists out of a job, which I would love."

She also said she heard "quite a bit of pushback" on PBIS while campaigning. She asked if families still don't understand it. Staff said the program has changed over the years, with more student and family input, and teachers who go through the training give very positive feedback.

Board member Robin Cerio later connected PBIS to the staff survey. Teachers listed student behavior as a top challenge, and the district hopes that improves as PBIS reaches every school.

The Bottom Line

If your kid comes home talking about "the Falcon Way" or Pod tickets, now you know where it comes from. Ask your school about its PBIS expectations. The district says it wants families involved in planning. Discipline is a hot topic in schools across the south metro, as we saw in Lakeville's hazing policy debate. District 196 is also building a school culture where kids see themselves, like its expanded Dakota language program. Subscribe to South Metro Scoop for more local school news.

Hero photo: Thomas Lake Elementary / District 196