Getting a student out of a classroom without telling the room why. It sounds trivial and it is the part students remember.
The runner
One person per block whose only job is going to get students. Not the planner, who should be in the room ready.
The runner carries the sticky note with name and pronouns, hands it to the planner, and knows where the student goes afterward.
What the teacher is told
Nothing about why. Teachers are briefed before screening week that students will be called out during the screening block and that they should not ask and should not comment. See Module 3.5.
✓ Take Action. Give teachers the sentence in advance: "Someone will come for a student sometimes. Let them go, mark them present, and carry on." A teacher who improvises here does it in front of thirty people.
What the student is told
At the door, quietly, by name. "Hi, are you Maya? Ms. Okonjo would like to talk with you for a bit. Bring your things."
Not "you're in trouble," not "the counsellor needs you," and nothing that sounds like a summons. Bring your things, because a student who leaves their backpack is a student the room will speculate about.
If the student asks whether this is about the survey, say yes. "It is. Nothing is wrong. She just wants to talk." Lying here costs more than it buys.
The route
Think about who the student walks past. The long way round an empty corridor is better than the short way through the cafeteria. For some students this is the whole difference between coming willingly and not. See Module 8.4.
Pre-existing relationships
Check before the student arrives. If the planner knows this student, hand off now rather than after the conversation has started.
A stranger makes honesty easier in the room. A familiar face makes the student turn up on Thursday.
Opposite requirements, both correct, for different reasons. The planner should be a stranger. The follow-up person should not. See Module 9.3.
When a student says no
They can. A student who declines to come is not refusing the response; they are refusing this moment.
- Do not escalate it into a confrontation in a doorway.
- Try again later in the day, with a different person if that would help.
- Tell the student what happens either way. "I'll come back after lunch. And either way, you're not in trouble and nothing bad happens because you said no right now."
- A High Risk student who refuses all day is escalated, not dropped. Consult the clinician. See Module 5.5.
Critical Reflection. A student who will not come out of class may be the student most worth sitting with. What would make it easier for them to say yes: a different adult, a different time, a different room, or a friend walking with them?
