PBIS at DJJ: Elbert Shaw RYDC Employee of the Month

Photo and information provided by Lt. Kristen Nix

Recently, the Elbert Shaw Regional Youth Detention Center (Elbert Shaw RYDC) announced that Officer Grace Jackson of the Security Team was named the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Employee of the Month for the facility. The PBIS Employee of the Month award is open to all in fields of Safety & Security, Medical, Counselors, Mental Health, Education, Food Service, Maintenance, Business, Personnel, Support Staff and Administration.

To become the PBIS Employee of the Month at the Elbert Shaw RYDC, employees must:

• Possess a positive attitude towards work responsibilities, co-workers, youth and be willing to serve as a role model for others.
• Show a willingness to exercise servant-leadership, take initiative and accept and carry out additional responsibilities beyond the regular job assignments for the good of DJJ
• Be consistent, dependable and punctual in reporting for duty


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According to her co-workers and supervisors, Officer Grace Jackson is "is an efficient and effective employee. She knows and understands the responsibilities and boundaries of her job duties. She is able to provide professional and supportive responses in difficult situations to students and co-workers. She is a proficient and positive worker whom is never seen just sitting idling; she is either engaged with a youth or has a broom or rag in her hand completing tasks to aid in sanitation of the facility. She has never been heard to complain about any assigned job duty. She is consistently assigned to the class with the most challenging behavioral students or potential conflictual situations and is able to maintain the post without issue (and without personal complaint). She is always positive when she greets co-workers and students. She demonstrates appropriate boundaries in carrying out her job duties and treats the students with respect and kindness while still maintaining appropriate control and security measures. She uses appropriate language towards and around the youth. She demonstrates great initiative in getting things done instead of waiting around to be told what needs to be done. She is a great example for new employees to learn by."

PBIS is an evidence-based, data-driven framework proven to reduce disciplinary incidents, increase a school’s sense of safety and support improved academic outcomes. More than 23,000 U.S. schools are implementing PBIS and saving countless instructional hours otherwise lost to discipline. The premise of PBIS is that continual teaching, combined with acknowledgement or feedback of positive student behavior, will reduce unnecessary discipline and promote a climate of greater productivity, safety and learning. PBIS schools apply a multi-tiered approach to prevention, using disciplinary data and principles of behavior analysis to develop school-wide, targeted and individualized interventions and supports to improve the school climate for all students.