The Parkland School Board approved a renewal agreement during its July 21 meeting for the district’s SWIS Suite student behavior management software despite residents questioning whether the program has produced measurable improvements in student conduct and school safety.

During public comment, resident Laura Warmkessel asked board members to provide evidence that the software has delivered results before extending the agreement through Aug. 31, 2027.

According to the agreement approved by the board, SWIS Suite was developed by the University of Oregon as part of its Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program. The software is designed to help schools collect, track, analyze and report student behavior and discipline data. The suite includes SWIS, CICO-SWIS, I-SWIS and EC-SWIS applications.

Warmkessel questioned whether the district has publicly demonstrated that the program is improving outcomes for students.

“The public deserves to know what measurable benefit Parkland has received from this,” she said.

She specifically asked whether student behavior has improved, bullying incidents have decreased, classrooms have become safer and disruptive incidents have declined since the district began using the software.

“Before approving this renewal, please show the taxpayers the evidence that SWIS is improving student safety, behavior and educational outcomes enough to justify continuing the cost,” Warmkessel said.

Warmkessel also asked how many schools in the district use the program, how many applications are licensed and what the overall annual cost is.

Another resident, Mike Bodnar, criticized what he viewed as the software’s emphasis on equity-related behavioral data.

After reviewing information on the platform, Bodnar said he was concerned by references to disciplinary outcomes involving different student groups.

“I don’t think this district needs more equity training,” he said. “Let’s just teach the kids the core curriculum.”

The board approved the agreement without additional discussion.

Later in the meeting, Superintendent Dr. Mark Matson defended the software and its role in district decision-making.

Matson said SWIS provides administrators with behavioral data that helps building-level and district-level teams identify trends and determine where additional interventions or support may be needed.

“That suite of products helps our building-level and district-level teams analyze the data and see where we are falling short,” Matson said.

He compared the process to reviewing academic performance data, saying administrators use behavioral information to identify areas requiring improvement and determine how best to support students.

“It absolutely is helpful to us,” Matson said. “If the administrative team wasn’t using it or didn’t feel it was beneficial to be able to help make better decisions to support our students’ well-being, then it wouldn’t have been brought to the board.”

The agreement was approved unanimously and extends through Aug. 31, 2027.

Contract documents show pricing ranges from $400 to $950 per school annually depending on the number of applications used and whether licenses are bundled. However, the agreement does not specify how many of Parkland’s 12 schools currently use SWIS Suite, which applications are licensed or the district’s total annual cost. Those questions, raised by residents during public comment, were not addressed during the vote.