Drugs, alcohol and aggravated-assault infractions in the Tucson Unified School District may soon be met with counseling services rather than out-of-school suspensions.
A proposed District Alternative Education Program (DAEP) will seek to not only continue the education of TUSDβs most troubled students but to address the root causes for the violation, too.
βWe know when a student has been suspended and theyβre sitting at home, thereβs no way, even in the best circumstances, that they can replicate being in school,β said TUSD assistant superintendent Abel Morado, who oversees high schools. βAnd we know that when students fall behind, that student is at risk and their ability to catch up academically or to stay engaged is compromised.
βThis is going to be complex and it will be hard work β some will take to it and others wonβt, but this is about the actions we take to make sure we are doing right by our students and doing everything possible to make sure they are successful and graduate from our schools.β
The program is being developed in consultation with special master Willis Hawley, a national desegregation expert appointed by the federal court to oversee TUSDβs efforts to eliminate vestiges of discrimination in its schools.
DAEP would cater to high school students who have committed level four or five violations β the most serious offenses, which include harassment, indecent exposure, robbery, extortion and incidents involving weapons.
Only level five offenders who have had few interventions in the past will be considered for participation.
Those who choose to take part in the voluntary program must first attend orientation with their parents and sign a contract agreeing to the rules, which include attendance requirements and wearing a collared shirt. It would serve 75 to 90 students.
For Morado, having students dress in a certain fashion will support the learning environment and assure that attire doesnβt lead to a problem when blending students from different parts of town.
Character development will also be key, using βThe Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens.β
Students who adhere to the rules, thrive and demonstrate model student behaviors may have their suspensions reduced and be returned to their home schools sooner.
The program will cost TUSD more than $400,000 for five certified teachers, a counselor, a behavior intervention monitor, tutoring and teaching supplies.
ALTERNATIVE EFFORT TRIED BEFORE
This isnβt the Tucson Unified School Districtβs first attempt at an alternative to suspension program.
For several years, the Life Skills program has been an option but has been considered to be βrelatively minor,β Morado said.
Unlike Life Skills, which had an element of outreach, the new program would be a concentrated effort to dig deep. It would provide services internally when possible or refer students and families to outside assistance.
A more comprehensive learning environment will also help students stay engaged in school while working through personal issues.
In Life Skills, students worked independently. They were assigned packets of work to complete with one teacher assigned to oversee them.
Under DAEP, a teacher would meet with the studentβs home school to identify what they are learning and incorporate it into personalized lesson plans that are administered to classes as a whole.
When students return to their home schools, the grade earned at DAEP would be submitted and factored in to the studentβs final grade.
The program also contains a follow-up component once students have returned to their home campuses following a 20-, 30- or 45-day stint at DAEP. The program will be housed at Project More and the Southwest Education Center.
PROGRAM OPTIONAL
Like Life Skills, DAEP is optional, but Morado believes very few parents will pass on the opportunity.
βParents can keep children home but I think we will have very few of those because when given the choice of having a 15-, 16-, 17-year-old at home versus continuing their education, we believe most parents will make the choice to keep their kid educated,β he said.
Morado added that students sent home for 30 days often find themselves further behind in schoolwork. They also typically lack any social-emotional support during the suspension, he said.
βWhat weβre trying to do at the end of the day is to achieve more equity and address the issue of disproportionality in discipline,β Morado said. βThe only way we can do that is through relationships and understanding.β
For school year 2013-14, Life Skills served 43 high school students, 60 percent of whom were Hispanic.
Another 42 students were referred to the program but were not placed. Instead they were referred to distance learning or were unable attend due to transportation, incarceration or admittance into a rehab facility. Others chose to enroll in a charter school.
The trend of about 60 percent of students in Life Skills being Hispanic has held true every school year since 2005.
Tucsonβs second-largest school district, Sunnyside, also has an alternative to suspension program. It took a hiatus due to budget cuts but has recently returned.
During the hiatus, 63 Sunnyside students served long-term suspensions out of school, 40 of whom did not return.
The Sunnyside program also prioritizes social-emotional support.
Across the country each year, significant numbers of students miss class due to suspensions and expulsions.
Minority students and those with disabilities are disproportionately affected, according to the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice. Last year it released a resource guide for improving school climate and discipline.
Suspended students are less likely to graduate on time and more likely to be suspended again, repeat a grade, drop out of school, and become involved in the juvenile justice system, according to the guide.
As a result, it is recommended that students who need to be removed from regular classrooms β for even a short period of time β should have access to alternative programs that provide comparable academic instruction to that provided to classmates.
This week, TUSD Superintendent H.T. Sanchez will travel to the White House to review the latest research regarding the prevalence and impact of school discipline practices and work on effective approaches for improving school climate.
