Duluth Denfeld High School: Findings from School Year 2018-19 and School Year 2019-20

Minnesota School-Based Diversion Model

Minnesota’s School-Based Diversion Model (SBDM) is a student-centered plan to keep youth from entering the criminal justice system due to arrests at school or during school hours. SBDM provides a decision-making protocol for student incidents and presents an opportunity for schools and law enforcement to work together as a shared decision-making authority to address students’ academic, behavioral health, and criminogenic needs. The model outlines three possible responses to student incidents: 1) no action, inform parent, 2) school case conference or behavior support team consultation, which can result in referrals to restorative justice conflict resolution, mental/chemical health services; or 3) school resource officer/law enforcement involvement.