Harrison County Alternative School Recognized for Earning Prestigious Designation

(May 5, 2025) – It was an exciting night as the Harrison County Alternative School was recognized for earning the prestigious “Tier I PBIS Model Site in Mississippi” designation! The Alternative School is 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.
 
During Monday night’s Harrison County School Board meeting, Alternative School Principal Dr. Christopher Spencer presented three awards that the school received from REACH MS: A special banner to display on campus, pins for each staff member, and a $500 check. 
 
“The faculty, students, and staff of Harrison County Alternative School have accomplished an extraordinary feat,” said Dr. Spencer. “Over the past nine weeks, we have taught our students about resilience. It’s inspiring to see how we have modeled and embraced the teachings through becoming a model site. Kudos to everyone, and let’s continue doing great things for the Harrison County School District!”
 
REACH MS selected the Alternative School after conducting a thorough evaluation of the campus on April 4 regarding its School-Wide Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) process. REACH MS Project Director Selina Merrell also toured the campus, talked with students and staff, and evaluated classroom activities and procedures to determine whether they supported positive student behavior.
 
“Conducting model site evaluations in truly one of my favorite aspects of this grant, and when the setting is an alternative program, it becomes even more meaningful,” said REACH MS Project Director Selina Merrell. “I always say that students in alternative settings deserve the very best educators, those who are dedicated, innovative, and deeply committed to making a difference. Harrison County clearly got it right with Dr. Spencer and Dr. Young (Alternative School PBIS Program Team Leader).”
 
Dr. Young told the board members that the school’s discipline referral rate has consistently dropped by as much as 45 percent during the first nine weeks of the PBIS program's implementation. She said the program focuses on helping students make the right decisions.
 
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