The Behavior & Discipline module in openSIS is used to record, track, and manage student behavioral incidents. It helps administrators, teachers, counselors, and assigned staff document incidents clearly, identify behavior patterns, and take appropriate follow-up actions.
This article explains the key terms used in openSIS when working with behavior referrals, discipline records, incident details, behavior fields, problem behaviors, possible motivations, and incident tags.
The Behavior & Discipline Module is the openSIS area used to manage student behavior-related records.
Its main purpose is to support student success by documenting behavioral incidents in a structured way. The information captured can help staff identify patterns, understand context, and plan suitable interventions or follow-up actions.
This module is available from the left navigation menu under Behavior & Discipline. Bob Sir’s Lexicon document also identifies this as a separate section that must be included in the openSIS Lexicon.
A Behavior Referral is an incident report created for one or more students.
It records the details of a behavioral incident or discipline event, such as the students involved, witnesses, date and time of the incident, location, problem behaviors, possible motivation, description, assigned staff, and urgency level.
Behavior referrals help the institution keep a clear record of behavior-related events and follow-up actions.
An Incident is a behavior-related event that needs to be recorded in openSIS.
An incident may involve one student or multiple students and may require review, follow-up, counseling, disciplinary action, or administrative attention.
Students Involved refers to the student or students connected to a behavior referral.
A single referral may include one student or multiple students depending on the nature of the incident.
A Witness is a person who observed or was present during the incident.
Witness information helps staff understand what happened and supports the review process.
The Date of Incident is the date on which the behavior event occurred.
This helps organize behavior records chronologically and supports reporting or follow-up review.
The Time of Incident records when the behavior event occurred.
It helps staff understand the timing of the incident and may support investigation or pattern tracking.
The Location of Incident is the place where the behavior event occurred.
Examples:
Classroom, hallway, cafeteria, playground, bus, restroom, office, online class, or school event.
Tracking location helps identify where incidents commonly occur and where supervision or intervention may be needed.
A Problem Behavior is the specific behavior or conduct that triggered the referral.
Examples:
Disrespect, physical altercation, inappropriate language, bullying, property damage, classroom disruption, defiance, or unsafe behavior.
Problem behavior values may be configured by the institution so that behavior records match the school’s reporting needs.
Possible Motivation refers to the suspected reason behind a student’s behavior.
Examples:
Peer pressure, frustration, misunderstanding, attention-seeking, bullying, conflict, avoidance, or emotional distress.
This field helps staff understand the context of the incident instead of only recording the behavior itself.
An Incident Description is the written explanation of what happened.
It may include details about the event, people involved, sequence of actions, staff observations, and any immediate response taken.
A clear description helps assigned staff review the referral accurately.
Behavior Fields are configurable fields used in the Behavior Referral form.
Some fields may be default system fields, while others can be added, edited, or managed by administrators depending on the institution’s needs.
Behavior fields help schools collect consistent and relevant information for discipline records.
Default Behavior Fields are standard fields already available in the behavior referral workflow.
These may include fields such as students involved, witness, date of incident, time of incident, location, problem behavior, possible motivation, and description.
Custom Behavior Fields are additional fields created by the institution to collect behavior-related information that is not available in the default setup.
Custom behavior fields help schools match the referral form to their own discipline process.
An Incident Tag is a label added to a behavior referral to show urgency, seriousness, or category.
Examples:
Urgent, High Priority, Follow-up Needed, Counseling Required, Minor Incident.
Incident tags help staff quickly identify which referrals need immediate attention.
Urgency Level indicates how quickly a behavior referral should be reviewed or acted upon.
A high urgency level may require immediate administrative or counselor attention.
Assigned Staff refers to the staff member responsible for reviewing or following up on a behavior referral.
This may be an administrator, counselor, teacher, dean, discipline coordinator, or other authorized staff member.
Follow-Up refers to the action taken after a behavior referral is submitted.
Follow-up may include speaking with the student, contacting a parent or guardian, assigning an intervention, documenting a consequence, or closing the case after review.
An Intervention is a support action taken to help improve student behavior.
Examples:
Counseling session, behavior plan, teacher conference, parent meeting, restorative conversation, peer mediation, or support referral.
Interventions focus on helping the student improve rather than only recording the incident.
A Discipline Action is an action taken in response to a behavior incident.
Examples:
Warning, detention, parent contact, suspension, behavior contract, loss of privilege, or administrative conference.
The available discipline actions may depend on the institution’s policy.
Behavior History is the collection of past behavior referrals or discipline records linked to a student.
It helps staff understand repeated patterns, previous interventions, and overall student behavior context.
A Behavior Pattern is a repeated behavior trend observed over time.
Example:
A student may have repeated tardiness, repeated classroom disruption, or repeated incidents in a specific location.
Identifying patterns helps staff respond more effectively.
Referral Status shows the current state of a behavior referral.
Examples:
Submitted, pending review, assigned, in progress, resolved, closed.
Referral status helps staff track whether a behavior case still needs attention.
A Submitted Referral is a behavior referral that has been created and sent for review.
Pending Review means the referral has not yet been fully reviewed by the assigned staff or administrator.
A Resolved Referral is a behavior referral that has been reviewed and addressed.
The resolution may include notes, follow-up actions, interventions, or discipline actions.
A Closed Referral is a referral that no longer requires action.
Closed referrals remain part of the student’s behavior history for recordkeeping and future reference.
A Behavior Report is a report that summarizes behavior referral data.
It may show incidents by student, date, location, problem behavior, assigned staff, urgency, or status.
Behavior and discipline terms help schools document incidents clearly and consistently. When behavior referrals include accurate details such as location, problem behavior, motivation, assigned staff, and follow-up, openSIS can support better student intervention and more reliable behavior tracking.
These terms also help users understand how student behavior records connect with the broader Student 360 view and student support workflows.