Rightsize. Right Support. Right for Students.
Portland Public Schools is undertaking a districtwide rightsizing process to better align our schools, programs, and resources with the needs of today’s students and the realities shaping our future.
Student support plans should be developed collaboratively with students and caregivers, who bring essential knowledge about the student's strengths, needs, experiences, and supports. Multiple planning options are available so school teams can select an approach that is responsive to the individual student.
Plans should be developed by the Individual Student Support Team and progress monitored through SIT or another team process that includes regular review of the plan.
Student needs may call for different types of safety and support planning. Start with the student-driven planning process when appropriate, then select additional planning tools based on the student's needs, behavior, and the purpose of the plan.
The Student-Driven Safety & Support Plan highlights activators and effective supports as identified by the student. This planning template identifies and documents necessary supports from the perspective of the student and should be completed in collaboration with the student.
Note: This plan is embedded into the suicide screening form. If a suicide screening has been submitted, a copy of the completed Student-Driven Safety & Support Plan is emailed to the submitter with no further documentation necessary.
The Staff Plan to Support Student Safety helps school teams respond to specific unsafe behavior, highlighting effective adult responses along with strategies to avoid. The plan assists teams in providing consistent responses from adults, role clarity, and termination criteria.
Complete the Plan for Managing Escalating Behaviors for behaviors that are an escalation response, such as verbal or physical escalation or elopement/running away. The plan incorporates Zones of Regulation and NCI concepts throughout the escalation cycle to ensure consistent, effective responses to escalated behavior.
Complete an FBA/BSP if a comprehensive support plan, including individualized interventions, is needed to:
This template is designed to guide school personnel in developing a comprehensive safety and support plan for students who have been targeted, victimized, or otherwise placed at risk due to a specific incident. It provides a structured approach for documenting relevant details, identifying safety concerns, and coordinating interventions from school staff, guardians, and community resources.
Not sure which core planning tool best fits the student's needs? Compare the features included in each template below.
| Plan Template Feature | Student-Driven Safety & Support | Staff Plan to Support Student Safety | Managing Escalating Behavior | FBA/BSP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short-Term Student Safety Resource | ✓ | — | — | — |
| Warning Signs / Activators / Antecedents | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Strategies That Work | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Strategies to Avoid | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Steps to Reduce Likelihood | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Adult Response | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Adult Escalation Cycle Response | — | — | ✓ | — |
| Adult Response Based on Student Need / Function | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Progress Monitoring | — | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Teaching Replacement Behavior & Lagging Skills | — | — | — | ✓ |
Some student concerns require an assessment process rather than a planning template. Access the appropriate Student Services resource below.
Safety and support planning does not end when a plan is created. School teams should regularly review active plans, monitor student progress, and update supports as student needs change.
Safety and support plans are maintained by the school team. Schools should establish a process for maintaining current plans and regularly reviewing them through SIT, Student Service Provider meetings, mental health meetings, or another established school team process.
Student Services provides an optional submission and tracking process to help schools identify students who have active safety and support plans. Schools may use this process in addition to their own school-level plan maintenance and review practices.
The school team develops the appropriate safety or support plan and maintains the plan at the school level.
Schools may use the Safety & Support Plan Submission Portal to notify Student Services that a plan is in place.
Student Services adds a flag in Synergy indicating that the student has a safety plan in place.
Submitted plans are added to a restricted, school-specific safety plan sheet that school staff can access through the Safety Plan Tracker.
