The FRISK documentation model provides guidelines for supervisors to document unsatisfactory employee performance. It is a progressive process that aims to improve performance through coaching while also building an evidentiary record. The FRISK acronym stands for the components supervisors should include when documenting an issue: Facts, Rules, Impact, Suggestions, and Knowledge. Supervisors are advised to be specific about factual details, reference policies violated, explain the adverse impact, provide directives for improvement, and include an acknowledgment of the employee's right to respond. The goal is to support positive behavioral change or potential disciplinary action in a fair and consistent manner.

1. FRISK DOCUMENTATION MODEL
Practical Guidelines for Evaluators in Documenting Unsatisfactory
Employee Performance
Office of Human Resources
Ella Padilla
Mary Miner
Dina Perfetti-Deany
Damon Brown

2. THE PURPOSE OF FRISK
1. Improve Employee Performance
2. Offer Coaching and Support
3. Document Expectations
4. Document Non-compliance
5. Provide Evidence for Disciplinary Action and Potential
Remediation

3. WHY DO WE NEED TO PRESERVE A RECORD OF
EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE?
• to document Employee Performance
• to meet the Burden of Proof in disciplinary cases
• to defend a personnel decision regarding a grievance
• to support district’s defense in discrimination and civil rights
complaints or unfair practice charges

4. OTHER BENEFITS OF FRISK
• It is a framework for positive behavioral change
• It is aligned with Master Agreement
• It supports the 7 Tests for Just Cause
• It is a strategy that uses assertive communication skills
• It creates clear understanding of expectations
• It creates open, honest and precise communication
• It is accountable and considerate

5. WHY YOU WOULD USE FRISK
FRISK provides a concise and consistent format.
FRISK helps document singular “events” that may demonstrate
patterns and may become part of a permanent personnel
record.
FRISK can be used to support the termination process

6. CORE PHILOSOPHY OF FRISK
POSTIVE – emphasis is placed on potential of employees to
change/improve their behavior/performance rather than
punitive measures.
CORRECTIVE – Supervisors have a responsibility to assist
employees in modifying their conduct.
PROGRESSIVE – By progressively increasing the severity of the
communication and discipline imposed for persistent
misconduct or failure to meet the established standard it is
expected that employees will be given the necessary incentive
to take corrective action.

7. THE COMPONENTS OF FRISK
• F – FACTS evidencing the employee’s unsatisfactory conduct.
• R – RULE or authority violated by the employee’s behavior.
• I – IMPACT of the employee’s unsatisfactory conduct on the
workplace.
• S – SUGGESTIONS to assist the employee in improving
performance and directions as to the proper conduct the
employee is expected to follow in the future. Theses
directions are also referred to as Directives such as
“Immediately you will…”.
• K – KNOWLEDGE of the employee’s right to respond to
corrective documentation placed in the personnel file.

8. THE FRISK PROGRESSIVE PROCESS
1. Verbal Resolution and Coaching
2. Written Warning
3. Letter of Reprimand
4. Unsatisfactory Evaluation
5. Suspension Without Pay
6. Dismissal
Page 70 -73 When determining discipline. Steps may be
skipped based on severity

9. FACTS RULES IMPACT SUGGESTIONS KNOWLEDGE
FACTS: what did the employee do?
• Be specific
-Identify and isolate the issue
-Avoid grouping multiple issues together
• Be explicit
-Dates, names, events, witnesses, etc.
-Acknowledge previous warnings, discussions, employee
admissions, etc.
• Be factually accurate
-CAUTION: Have specific, factual information: – Avoid
general statements and conclusions

10. FACTS RULES IMPACT SUGGESTIONS KNOWLEDGE
Facts - Examples
• BAD LANGUAGE:
“You are frequently late to staff meetings.”
• GOOD LANGUAGE:
“You are frequently late to staff meetings. Between
September 1 and November 1, 2012 you were late to staff
meetings on September 14 (15 minutes); September 26 (5
minutes); October 10 (10 minutes); and October 22 (10
minutes).

11. FACTS RULES IMPACT SUGGESTIONS KNOWLEDGE
RULES: What should the employee have done?
FIRST, DEFINE PROBLEM
SECOND, TRANSLATE PROBLEM TO EXPECTED “RULE.”
• The rule(s) should be a statement of specific expectation,
standard practice, school or district policy.
• Rules must be consistently applied to all employees.
• Restating the rule is critical documentation and verifies the
employee was made aware of the issue.
• The “rule” is always restated as the directive that the
employee is to follow in the future.

12. FACTS RULES IMPACT SUGGESTIONS KNOWLEDGE
Rules - Examples
• “Your conduct violated Article 502, Section 88 of the
Agreement, which requires you to be in your room 15
minutes before the bell rings.”
• “Your conduct violated the memo sent by me in which the
staff was directed to no longer have students line up on the
west side of the building.”
• “Your conduct violated Board Policy ____-----

13. FACTS RULES IMPACT SUGGESTIONS KNOWLEDGE
Rules - Examples
• PROBLEM: Argumentative/Abrasive Behavior
The PROBLEM with an employee who uses profanity in the
presence of students denotes “poor professional judgment.”
TRANSLATE the PROBLEM into a “rule.”
Your conduct in front of the class lacked good judgment
which requires you to refrain from using profanity in front of, or
in conversations with students.

14. FACTS RULES IMPACT SUGGESTIONS KNOWLEDGE
Impact - Definition
What is the impact of the employee’s conduct?
• An “impact” is the consequence of the employee’s action on
other individuals or the organization.
• The impact is always adverse and substantiates the
seriousness of the inappropriate conduct
• An impact statement links the undesired behavior/event to
the broader responsibilities of the employee’s position
Pages 33-42 of FRISK Handbook

15. FACTS RULES IMPACT SUGGESTIONS KNOWLEDGE
Impact – Examples
• Your lack of supervision of students is a violation of BOE policy JLI
(attached), exposed students to possible injury, and exposed the district to
possible liability.
• Your conduct of sending home parent notes with errors negatively
impacted the trust parents have of our school and our instructional
competence.
• Your sarcastic and demeaning communication with students had an
adverse impact on your teaching effectiveness and relationships with
students, resulting in 3 student and parent complaints this school year.
Contact HR to brainstorm examples of adverse impact evidence. Include
all identifiable examples to make a clear connection between conduct
and negative impact.

16. FACTS RULES IMPACT SUGGESTIONS KNOWLEDGE
Suggestions / Directives – Definition
What should the employee to do to improve their performance?
• To demonstrate good faith and meet legal requirements, the supervisor should
provide suggested strategies, resources, and timelines to help the employee meet
performance expectations.
• Suggestions should include a directive articulating future expectations for
performance – clearly, not ambiguous.
• Suggestions/Directives for improvement are always supported by a statement of
consequences in the event of employee noncompliance
Resources to reference: Board Policy, Master Agreement, Teacher Quality
Standards, Strategic Plan, past directives

17. FACTS RULES IMPACT SUGGESTIONS KNOWLEDGE
Suggestions / Directives – Examples
• Beginning immediately, you are directed to report to all recess duties on time and
provide supervision for student safety. Failure to follow this directive may result in
further disciplinary action.
• Effective immediately and until further notice, you are required to proofread all
written parent communication and get approval by a school administrator before
sending home. Failure to follow this directive will result in further disciplinary
action.
• Effective immediately and until further notice, you are directed to discontinue all
demeaning and sarcastic remarks to students. You are directed to use positive
language and demonstrate good professional judgment when interacting with
students. Failure to comply with these directives may result in further disciplinary
action, up to and including a recommendation for termination.
Resources to reference: Board Policy, Master Agreement, Teacher Quality
Standards, Strategic Plan, past directives

18. FACTS RULES IMPACT SUGGESTIONS KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge – Definition
• “Knowledge” is the acknowledgement of the employee’s contractual right to
review any document prior to it’s placement in the district personnel file.
• A knowledge disclaimer should always be included at the bottom of the document
with the individual’s signature and date beneath it.
Knowledge – Example
“Signature indicates you have reviewed and received a copy of this document,
and does not imply agreement with it’s content.”
“A copy of this document will be placed in the your personnel file. A formal
written response can be submitted to HR within 10 working days from the date of
this document.”
•Pages 58-68

19. FACTS RULES IMPACT SUGGESTIONS KNOWLEDGE
Scenario:
Marion, a paraeducator, is responsible for supervising
elementary students during the lunch break. On April
10, 2001, she left the campus without authorization
during the lunch break, leaving the students
unsupervised for approximately 10 minutes. This is the
third time the principal has addressed Marion for
missing a recess duty assignment.
• Facts:
• Rules:
• Impact:
• Suggestion / Directive:
• Knowledge:

20. FACTS RULES IMPACT SUGGESTIONS KNOWLEDGE
Scenario:
A teacher repeatedly interacts with her teammates in a
disrespectful way, raising her voice and using sarcasm. On Nov. 27,
2012, this teacher became angry with her teammates in a team
meeting and yelled at them, “You are so difficult to work with!
This is a bunch of crap!” The principal has spoken to her about her
unprofessional communication twice prior to this.
• Facts:
• Rules:
• Impact:
• Suggestion / Directive:
• Knowledge:

21. FACTS RULES IMPACT SUGGESTIONS KNOWLEDGE
Scenario:
“THIS IS YOUR LIFE”
With a partner, talk about a situation you have in your building.
What is the next step you think you should take with this
employee?
If you decide on a formal write-up, how would you word the
situation using FRISK?
• Facts:
• Rules:
• Impact:
• Suggestion / Directive:
• Knowledge:

22. FRISK DOCUMENTATION TEMPLATES
Memorandum Shared With/Approved By
Concern Memorandum Principal
Warning Memorandum Principal, Assistant
Superintendent, HR
Reprimand Memorandum Principal, Assistant
Superintendent, HR
Evaluation Cycle Principal, Asst Supt, HR??

23. SEVEN TESTS FOR JUST CAUSE
AS DEFINED BY ARBITRATOR CARROL R. DAUGHERTY
1. Did the employer give to the employee forewarning or foreknowledge of the possible or probable
disciplinary consequences of the employee’s conduct?
2. Was the employer’s rule of managerial order reasonably related to the orderly, efficient, and safe
operation of the employer’s business?
3. Did the employer, before administering discipline to an employee, make an effort to discover
whether the employee did in fact violate or disobey a rule or order of management?
4. Was the employer’s investigation conducted fairly and objectively?
5. At the investigation did the “judge” obtain substantial evidence or proof that the employee was
guilty as charged?
6. Has the employer applied its rules, orders, and penalties even-handedly without discrimination to
all employees?
7. Was the degree of discipline administered by the employer in a particular case reasonably related
to (a) the seriousness of the employee’s proven offense and (b) the record of the employee in his
service with the employer?
The arbitrator explained that:
A “no” answer to any one or more of the above questions normally signifies that just and proper cause
did not exist. In other words, such a “no” means that the employer’s disciplinary decision contained
one or more elements of arbitrary, capricious, unreasonable, and/or discriminatory action to such an
extent that said decision constituted an abuse of managerial discretion warranting the Arbitrator to
substitute his judgment for that of the employer.

24. SELF ASSESSMENT TEST
1. Management has the burden of proof in employee discipline hearings. TRUE FALSE
2. Pinpointing specific deficient conduct in documentation is important in TRUE FALSE
tracking performance patterns.
3. Photographs cannot normally be used as evidence in a disciplinary hearing. TRUE FALSE
3. All violations of rules by employees must be written up in a disciplinary TRUE FALSE
memorandum.
5. All public school employees have the right to review the contents of their TRUE FALSE
personnel files.
6. A written reprimand must always be preceded by a written disciplinary warning. TRUE FALSE
7. It is more important that the facts evidencing deficient conduct be clear and TRUE FALSE
specific than the direction for correcting the conduct.