New Policy Seeks to Reward Behavior

AMANDA TANG , ANALY HIDALGO Staff Writers

In the second semester of the school year, Alhambra High School has decided to take part in a program known as PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) where staff members will give out reward tickets to students who show characteristics of either respect, responsibility or leadership. 

Students with these tickets can put them in a box in the Guidance/Counseling office. Near the end of February, there will be a school-wide raffle held where random tickets will be chosen, resulting in those lucky students winning certain prizes ranging from small rewards such as chips, onto bigger rewards like Apple Airpods. This system of behavioral rewards, however, might not work out as smoothly as the district hopes. 

The idea of giving incentives to students for doing acts of positive expectations is an idea that seems new and promising, but within this new implementation holds a deeper meaning for these students that are being rewarded. For example, picking up trash on campus or being prepared by bringing your materials to school, are things students can do to obtain these tickets. These actions seem to promote positivity in students at first, but after a while, students may not show active goodness unless there is a promise of an award. 

After a few times, students might be picking up trash not because they care about the environment, but because an incentive is lying there waiting for them in the end. If these rewards were to be taken away, many of the students will lose that focus of doing

good. Behavioral rewards defeat the purpose of students conducting themselves well without any incentive. This habit of expecting a reward for their effort could carry on in the future and work against them in the real world. 

The rewards are temporary and what matters is if the students carry on with positive actions when there is no reward. What happens to the student’s behavior if they are no longer rewarded? Good, consistent, students might also be overlooked because staff members may only reward students who otherwise would not present such characteristics.

 It could also appear unfair to the students that the winners are chosen through a random draw when other students may be more deserving of the rewards. 

The goal is to improve interactions with staff and students but it could cause the opposite like favoritism or non-deserving students receiving rewards. However, the data shows that this system works and that the rewards are more of a motivation for students to go above what is expected of them. The system encourages students to act more positively and create a better school environment. It could be viewed as positive reinforcement, much like students strive for good grades for their future they could also strive to be better as citizens.

 Although PBIS appears to be here to stay, this semester is a trial period for the reward tickets. Depending on how well it works the school will decide whether or not to keep them or make changes. If the program continues, there will be more frequent raffles along with possibly a Student Store to use the tickets. However, many students already find the system unappealing and rather pointless.