Fairbanks North Star Borough School District — Policy Analysis 2026
Grand Total
75 / 106
70.8%
Base Score
68 / 96
Extra Credit
7 / 10
Score by Section
| Section | Score | Max | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Culturally Responsive Training | 5 | 8 | Notes |
| Clear & Consistent Policies | 7 | 8 | Notes |
| Restorative Justice Practices | 1 | 8 | Notes |
| Bias Awareness & Mitigation | 5 | 8 | Notes |
| Culturally Relevant Curriculum | 6 | 8 | Notes |
| Community Engagement & Collaboration | 8 | 8 | Notes |
| Professional Development on Equity & Inclusion | 3 | 8 | Notes |
| Mental Health & Trauma-Informed Practices | 7 | 8 | Notes |
| Data Collection & Analysis | 7 | 8 | Notes |
| Student Voice & Leadership | 5 | 8 | Notes |
| Equitable Access to Support Services | 8 | 8 | Notes |
| Continuous Evaluation & Improvement | 6 | 8 | Notes |
| Extra Credit | 7 | 10 | Notes |
Suggestions to Improve the Score
Every item below its maximum, worst gap first, with the reviewer's own notes as the rationale.
Show suggestions (25)
- 3.1 [Restorative Justice Practices]: Restorative circles/conferences to repair harm — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public documentation was found showing FNSBSD uses formal restorative circles or conferences as a discipline practice; district behavior programs found (PASS, SMART, CHAMPS) are alternative-to-suspension/PBIS models, not restorative-justice circles.
- 3.2 [Restorative Justice Practices]: Staff training in restorative practices — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public documentation was found of staff training specifically in restorative-practices methodology for discipline.
- 3.4 [Restorative Justice Practices]: Peer mediation program — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public documentation was found of a formal student peer-mediation program in FNSBSD.
- 7.4 [Professional Development on Equity & Inclusion]: Participation in equity-focused conferences — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public documentation was found indicating district-supported staff participation in external equity-focused conferences.
- 10.3 [Student Voice & Leadership]: Students facilitate restorative processes — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public documentation was found of students facilitating restorative processes in FNSBSD.
- EC5 [Extra Credit]: Describe additional policy… — Currently: Not rated (0/2 pts). No rationale recorded.
- 1.2 [Culturally Responsive Training]: Mentorship programs for culturally diverse staff — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The district runs a New Teacher Academy and a Teacher Registered Apprenticeship Program (with UAF/DEED) that provides professional mentorship to new/aspiring educators, but there is no evidence this mentorship is specifically targeted to culturally diverse staff. Source: k12northstar.org HR pages.
- 1.3 [Culturally Responsive Training]: Culturally relevant PD resources in staff learning — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The district maintains a dedicated Alaska Native Education Professional Development page and ESEA/Title I PD resources, but these appear topic/program-specific rather than a comprehensive, district-wide culturally-relevant PD system for all staff.
- 1.4 [Culturally Responsive Training]: Regular feedback/measurement on training effectiveness — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The DEI Phase II report explicitly names "Measuring and Benchmarking the effectiveness of DEI" as one of five highlighted action areas, indicating this is a planned/emerging practice rather than a confirmed, regularly implemented feedback system.
- 2.3 [Clear & Consistent Policies]: Staff training on consistent application — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The district states <cite index="175-1">Our district is a Safe & Civil Schools district, with many schools implementing CHAMPS (Classwide Positive Behavior Support) to support student achievement and promote positive behavior</cite>, but "many" (not all) schools implement it, so district-wide mandatory consistency is not fully confirmed.
- 3.3 [Restorative Justice Practices]: Curriculum integrates conflict-resolution skills — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). Student Behavior Support Technicians <cite index="39-1">may facilitate the presentation of social skills, anger management, and conflict resolution to individuals, small groups, and in classrooms</cite>, showing conflict-resolution instruction exists via support staff, though not confirmed as embedded in the core curriculum for all students.
- 4.1 [Bias Awareness & Mitigation]: Implicit bias training for staff — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). Board Diversity Committee minutes reference members seeking to <cite index="23-1">confirm that implicit / unconscious bias training is included</cite>, and the district has partnered with the National Coalition Building Institute since 2018 for bias-related "Open Circles" training, but there's no evidence this is mandatory for all staff district-wide.
- 4.3 [Bias Awareness & Mitigation]: Cultural competence checks in hiring — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The DEI report describes actions such as <cite index="119-1">Developing recruitment material and video that communicates the FNSBSD's commitment to hiring diverse and culturally competent candidates</cite> and a recent NAACP-collaborated job recruitment workshop, plus a board "Hiring Report - New Hire Activity and Demographics," but a formal, mandatory cultural-competence hiring check is not confirmed.
- 4.4 [Bias Awareness & Mitigation]: Diverse perspectives & materials in curriculum — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The DEI Phase II report notes <cite index="120-8">The curriculum committee has recommended adding an elective on Civil Rights and LGBTQ+ literature</cite> and a public curriculum-materials review process exists, but comprehensive diverse-perspective integration across all curriculum is not confirmed district-wide.
- 5.1 [Culturally Relevant Curriculum]: Curriculum materials reflect student backgrounds — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The Alaska Native Education program <cite index="47-1">supports AN/AI students in grades K-12, and provides cultural enrichment for all students in the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District</cite>, but this is focused primarily on Alaska Native culture rather than reflecting all student backgrounds district-wide.
- 5.2 [Culturally Relevant Curriculum]: Teacher PD on integrating diverse perspectives — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). A dedicated PD page exists for Alaska Native Education, but broader teacher PD on integrating diverse perspectives generally (beyond ANE) was not confirmed as mandatory or comprehensive.
- 7.1 [Professional Development on Equity & Inclusion]: Ongoing anti-bias/equity training — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The district has partnered with NCBI for anti-bias "Coalition Builders" training since 2018, discussed in board DEI reports, but ongoing/annual mandatory participation for all staff was not confirmed.
- 7.2 [Professional Development on Equity & Inclusion]: Workshops on culturally responsive teaching — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). A dedicated culturally responsive PD resource exists (ANE-focused), but broader workshops on culturally responsive teaching across all content areas were not confirmed as regular/mandatory.
- 7.3 [Professional Development on Equity & Inclusion]: Equity topics in staff meetings/PD — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). Equity topics are periodically presented to the Board (DEI Action Steps/Phase II reports) and ESEA-funded PD exists, but regular inclusion of equity topics in routine staff meetings district-wide is not confirmed.
- 8.2 [Mental Health & Trauma-Informed Practices]: Safe, supportive spaces (mindfulness/sensory) — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The district's mental health page describes <cite index="97-3">Teaching youth mindfulness, coping skills, communication skills, relaxation techniques, self-regulation, and emotion identification and management</cite>, but dedicated sensory/calming physical spaces in schools were not confirmed.
- 9.2 [Data Collection & Analysis]: Regular audits of discipline practices — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). State-mandated Section 618 disproportionality determinations provide external accountability, but no distinct, regular internal district audit process for discipline practices was confirmed.
- 10.2 [Student Voice & Leadership]: Student feedback informs policy/procedures — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). Students provide input via the Regional Student Council's board seat and via climate surveys, but a documented formal mechanism showing student feedback directly changes policies/procedures was not confirmed.
- 12.1 [Continuous Evaluation & Improvement]: Standing committee/task force for discipline equity — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). A standing 16-member Board Diversity Committee exists focused on equity/inclusion broadly, described as helping <cite index="221-3">keeping the administration informed of specific concerns and helping find ways to encourage all students and parents to become involved</cite>, but it is not specifically a discipline-equity task force.
- 12.4 [Continuous Evaluation & Improvement]: PD & reflective practice culture — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The district's current strategic plan includes an 'Investing in Our People' pillar emphasizing ongoing staff learning and development, but a distinct, formalized reflective-practice culture beyond general PD was not separately confirmed.
- EC4 [Extra Credit]: Military-connected student support infrastructure, including Project 360 Navigators (DoDEA-funded case managers in 10 schools) and an 8-counselor Child & Youth Behavioral Military & Family Counseling program, addressing equity for a specific mobile/high-stress student population. — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). Reflects tailored equity support for military-connected families, a less commonly highlighted equity dimension in discipline-equity frameworks.