Martha K. Glaze RYDC: Team Spirit

Story support and photos from Leslie Stroud

Recently, the education staff at the Martha K. Glaze Regional Youth Detention Center in Clayton County held a team spirit and building meeting at the facility located in Clayton County. Each teacher was presented with new t-shirts, with facilities mascot the "Cougars" on it to be worn during Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) events, volunteer service events, and educational programming. The t-shirts were designed to symbolize the closeness of staff, and proof that community bonds are strengthened when we work with local volunteers and the youth in their care. 

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 acknowledgment or feedback of positive student over the counter 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. The Department of Juvenile Justice school district, the Georgia Preparatory Academy, is the 181st School District in the state of Georgia and is accredited by AdvancED.