Harrison County Alternative School Earns Prestigious Designation

(April 4, 2025 ) - We are thrilled to announce that the Harrison County Alternative School has earned the prestigious “Tier I PBIS Model Site in Mississippi” designation! The exciting news came today after REACH MS conducted a thorough evaluation of the campus regarding its School-Wide Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) process. The Alternative School became the first school in the Harrison County School District to receive this distinction and is one of only four Alternative School Tier I PBIS Model Sites in the state.

“I’m so proud of our faculty, staff, and students! There was total buy-in from everyone in such a short amount of time. This is a testament to their dedication to seeing something through from beginning to end,” said Harrison County Alternative School Principal Dr. Christopher Spencer. “My hope is whatever the students learn at the Alternative School, they will utilize it when they return to their home school and throughout life.”

REACH MS Project Director Selina Merrell interviewed Dr. Spencer. She also toured the campus, talked with students and staff, and evaluated classroom activities and procedures to determine whether they supported positive student behavior.

“I’m very impressed with what I have seen, but more importantly, what I felt here. Big shoutout to Dr. Spencer and Dr. Victoria Young (Alternative School PBIS Program Team Leader) for their leadership. The staff shared with me they have noticed changes in the culture of the school and there is collaboration among them. You also have the support from the superintendent and assistant superintendents, which is very important,” said Merrell.

For achieving this distinction, the Alternative School will receive a large banner, special pins, and $500 check. The school will now serve as a PBIS Model Site to inspire other schools to learn about effective processes and systems being implemented to help improve academic and behavioral outcomes for all students.
REACH MS stands for Realizing Excellence for All Children in Mississippi. The federal grant is operated by the University of Southern Mississippi’s School of Education. According to its website, the School-Wide Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (SWPBIS) process is a team-based approach that relies on a strong collaboration between families and professionals. At the school level, SWPBIS relies on accurate and reliable discipline referral data to recognize the behaviors occurring across campus. An analysis of the “Big Five” data (time, location, type of behavior, student, and average referrals monthly) allows the school team to:

• Identify appropriate school-wide expectations and rules
• Develop a system to teach students appropriate behavior
• Create a predictable office discipline referral system so that students can be provided with consistent consequences for behavior violations
• Generate a reinforcement system that will increase the likelihood that students will exhibit the expected behavior
• Communicate findings to staff, students, and families