Case Study: River Heights Intermediate achieves PBIS success and improved school culture with Hero K12

How one administrative team made a positive change by winning the hearts and minds of students, staff, and the community

River Heights Intermediate was struggling with strained classroom culture, high suspension rates, and teacher burnout while California moved to reduce suspensions. To support a new PBIS pilot without overloading teachers, the school adopted the Hero K12 digital discipline platform so administrators could manage disciplinary follow-up while teachers focused on recognizing positive behavior.

Using Hero K12, River Heights Intermediate rolled out a teacher-friendly system for awarding positive points and partnered with local businesses for incentives like “Dine with the Deputy” (Chipotle), Staples donations, PTSA support, and a monthly kiosk truck. The result was 100% teacher participation, rewards given to 90% of students who earned positive points, and a 1.3:1 ratio of positive to negative incidents by year-end, demonstrating a measurable improvement in school climate and sustainable PBIS implementation.

River Heights Intermediate

Kim Seheult

Intermediate School Administrator