School Board Members Shift Focus To Discipline

By Miriam Ramirez, The Monitor, McAllen, Texas

Jan. 30–DONNA — School board members want to know just how effective the district’s alternative education program is operating.

Mainly, they want to know what the best way to keep students out of trouble.

At a workshop earlier last week, board members shifted their focus to the Discipline and Management department, which handles all disciplinary alternatives in the district.

The district has been under added pressure after Todd ninth-grade campus was labeled persistently dangerous last summer by the Texas Education Agency. The school received the designation because it had more than three felony controlled substance expulsions each year for three consecutive years.

Since then, administrators have paid special attention to boosting security and utilizing all of the district’s options to improve their rating.

At Todd, 6 percent of the student population was transferred to the district’s alternative education program, a separate campus with a boot-camp style instruction. The alternative school has its own set of faculty and staff as well as certified drill instructors. Students receive individualized instruction and stay in one classroom during the school day, while teachers rotate from classroom to classroom.

Depending on students’ behavior, they could spend up to 45 days at the alternative program. According to school administrators, every 30 days, students and their parents meet with counselors to check on progress. During this time, students have the chance to renegotiate terms of their placement at the school and possibly return to his/her campus on a probationary status.The district reported only 15 percent of the students at the alternative school return. Jones said it is up to each principal and assistant principal to handle most disciplinary issues at the campus level to avoid removing the student from his/her campus.

“We don’t want to shut the door on these students,” department head Fernando Zambrano said. “Everybody makes a mistake.”

The district has several levels of disciplinary alternatives. Students may be removed from regular classes to a disciplinary alternative learning area at their home school — referred to as in-school suspension (ISS). Or students may be suspended and placed in at the alternative school. For felony offenses, a student may be expelled and placed in the Hidalgo County Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program (JJAEP).

In Donna, the student code of conduct is divided into two categories: behaviors and consequences. The behaviors list begins with general misconduct, disruptive behavior; violations of the student code of conduct; possession, purchase or use of tobacco products or school-related gang-related activities.

Mandatory placements stem from felony offenses; possession and use of alcohol or controlled substances; public lewdness or indecent exposure; retaliation against a school employee; or a terrorist threat or assault, according to the student code of conduct.

Of the 2,000 students at the high school, a little more than 1 percent is currently enrolled at the alternative campus.

At Veteran’s Middle School, not even a percentage has been removed from the campus.

Principal Jose Javier Villanueva said the campus sets strict rules in and out of the classroom to help keep their numbers down.

“There are a lot of consequences in our school,” he said. “This is the reason why we’ve had low referrals to the alternative education program.”

In a few months, the department will report back to the board with additional information on student discipline. Until then, board members urged school administrators to keep a watchful eye on any increase in referrals.

“We’re putting a great responsibility on the alternative program and we understand it is sometimes easier said than done,” said board vice-president Dennis Ramirez. “We need to make sure students aren’t just getting a slap on the wrist.”

Miriam Ramirez covers eastern Hidalgo County and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4441.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Monitor, McAllen, Texas

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