Ohio Connections Academy Receives the Ohio PBIS Bronze Award

Ohio Connections Academy (OCA), a tuition-free, full-time public virtual school serving K-12 students throughout the state, was recently awarded the Ohio PBIS Bronze Award for 2020-2021 by the Ohio Department of Education for creating a school environment that is positive, predictable, safe and equitable.

PBIS stands for Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports, and the cornerstone of this framework is maintaining and supporting behavioral expectations for students throughout the school environment, which requires consistency in administrative leadership for students, parents and staff.

According to Ohio Connections Academy Superintendent Marie Hanna, the online school developed a structured framework so all stakeholders (caretakers, learning coaches, administration, school support staff, teachers and students) work together to teach, model and reinforce what it means to be respectful, responsible and engaged.

“Ohio Connections Academy has always been committed to students' academic performance as well as students' social and emotional well-being,” Hanna said. “We believe that each student deserves to feel safe and supported at school, and we are beyond proud that we are being recognized for creating a positive and inclusive environment. As Ohio Connections Academy continues to present these values to our students, our students learn to be self-aware, self-managed and make responsible decisions.”

An effective PBIS framework within the school is designed to achieve the following:

• Prevent chronic behavioral challenges.
• Provide early intervention for children and youth displaying minor but repeated patterns of problem behavior.
• Provide pro-active supports to children and youth at-risk and those with emotional disturbances to allow them to successfully remain in the general education environments with the appropriate supports.
• Provide instruction, practice and reinforcement for students regarding expected behaviors in the various school settings.

For families interested in learning more about Ohio Connections Academy and how a virtual education may benefit their student, or to begin the enrollment process for second semester, please visit www.OhioConnectionsAcademy.com or call (800) 382-6010.