PBIS at DJJ: Recent Elbert Shaw RYDC August Employees of the Month

Photos and information provided by Lt. Kristen Nix

The Elbert Shaw Regional Youth Detention Center (Elbert Shaw RYDC) announced that Cadet Bryon Cagle and Cadet Jasmine Gilreath were named recent Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Employees 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.

According to their co-workers and supervisors, Cadet Cagle and Cadet Gilreath have gone above and beyond in their duties while maintaining a positive attitude. They have finished their facility training in record time. Cadets Cagle and Gilreath will soon begin the Basic Juvenile Correctional Officer Training (BJCOT) course at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth. “I am confident they will make Elbert Shaw RYDC proud,” said Assistant Director Kristin Nix. “They truly care about our youth and are such positive influences in their lives.”

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. 

To learn more about PBIS at DJJ, visit https://djj.georgia.gov/positive-behavioral-interventions-and-supports-djj.