FARMINGTON — The day treatment program at Regional School Unit 9 has led to fewer office disciplinary referrals but has not improved attendance, according to a study by one of its teachers.

Marian Harrison, a teacher in the treatment program for grades seven through 12 at Mt. Blue Regional School District, conducted the study as part of her capstone project for her master’s degree. She shared the results of her mixed-method approach with the school board Tuesday.

The goal of day treatment is to support the mental health needs of students, help students regulate their behavior and move back into the general education center, according to information provided by the school district. This year, the district has three centers set up in schools.

According to Harrison’s study, day treatment programs are considered psychiatric settings because they have a large mental health component and students are required to regularly meet with a social worker.

RSU 9 saved more than $500,000 in one year by serving students in the district rather than sending them out of the district to other programs, Superintendent Tom Ward said earlier this year.

Harrison completed her study April 5, and the day treatment program in the district had been implemented for two years at the time. Her findings are very preliminary, she said.

Harrison said the implementation of the treatment program did not appear to significantly increase attendance for students in day treatment.

Attendance is usually dealt with at home, she said. Part of a social worker’s role will be a home-school liaison. The district added social workers in the current fiscal year budget.

“I think we will see some changes,” she said. “I do think the attendance piece will change.”

There was a significant decrease in office disciplinary referrals resulting in in-school and out-of-school suspensions for both the general student population and day treatment students since the implementation of the program, she said.

According to Harrison’s statistics, disorderly conduct infractions for a sample of 15-day treatment students dropped from 38 in 2012-13 to two in 2013-14 and increased to three in the first semester of 2014-15.

Surveys collected from parents of day treatment students showed parents have seen growth in their child socially and academically, Harrison said. Parents also reported seeing positive changes in behavior both at school and at home.

Most parents feel their child would rather not be in general education classrooms and they report increased attendance and a decrease in office disciplinary referrals, according to her study.

The study revealed parents’ opinions of the day treatment program are positive, and their best experience has been an overall attitude change in their child for the better. The majority of parents wouldn’t change anything about the program, the study finds.

A lot of parents think their student will graduate, which wasn’t always the case, Harrison said.

dperry@sunmediagroup.net