Retreat Focuses on Alternative School System
By Julie Hubbard, The Macon Telegraph, Ga.
Feb. 10–CORDELE — When Bibb County public school students misbehave on school grounds, they get a “one size fits all” fix to correct behavior, school board member Susan Middleton said.
“Regardless of whether or not you are a student with chronic discipline problems or a student with a one-time infraction, you are sent to the same school,” she said.
A tiered alternative school program for those with chronic offenses and another one for those with lesser offenses may be more effective, she said.
School officials spent a portion of their time Saturday at a board retreat at Lake Blackshear Golf and Resort in Cordele discussing the ineffectiveness of the alternative school program. They also did some initial planning to change it.
Among the reasons cited for an overhaul: some students acting up in class may not be dealt with; and repeat offenders and those who commit major crimes may not be getting the education services they need for post-high school life.
“In most cases, there are some real academic issues for these students, and they are not being addressed,” Middleton said. “We have to take responsibility for this and not act like it will fix itself.”
A reformed system would lead to improved student learning and a better school climate, officials said.
In 1984, the Bibb school board voted to use the Neel school building on Hollis Road in Macon as its facility for disruptive students. Less than 55 students attended the school at that time. For 2006-07, there were 496 students assigned to Neel Academy from evidentiary hearings, said Philip Mellor, the system’s assistant superintendent for student support services.
Students are sent to Neel for reasons ranging from repeatedly disregarding dress codes and suspensions longer than 10 days to fighting, bullying, drug use and carrying a weapon to school.
“Some stay as short as two or three weeks,” Mellor said, while others may be there a semester or until the end of the school year.
Students can leave the program early if they have a 90 percent attendance rate and improve their behavior.
Before making changes, school officials said they would study why students misbehave, look at a new model for handling discipline in grades K-12 and explore what other programs school systems are successfully using.
Some other ideas to improve the alternative school program included:
–Using the soon-to-be closed Burke Elementary School as an alternative site.
–Giving experienced teachers pay incentives to work at an alternative school, because many first year or less experienced teachers now occupy those jobs.
–Considering a breakout program, which could include night school, for students who are older and are short credit hours to minimize disruptions at schools.
“Right now, you have eight board members willing to go and do something different,” said board member Tommy Barnes. “Some board members feel (too many unruly students in the classroom) is a primary threat to growth and teacher retention.”
Superintendent Sharon Patterson said the board would still need to review schools’ behavioral management plans, codes of conduct and do some studying over the next few months.
She said she expects to have some information for the board this fall.
It may be overly ambitious to have a different alternative school model in place for this coming school year, Patterson said.
“We may be looking at a transition period,” she said.
To contact writer Julie Hubbard, call 744-4331.
—–
To see more of The Macon Telegraph, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.macon.com
Copyright (c) 2008, The Macon Telegraph, Ga.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.