March 4, 1997 DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT DRAFT Siskiyou County Plan for Expelled Youth Overview Legal Requirement. The school districts in Siskiyou County and the County Superintendent's Office are required to submit a county plan for expelled youth to the California Department of Education by June 30, 1997. Education Code 48926, as enacted by AB 922, requires the county plan for expelled youth address the following areas: I. Identify existing education alternatives for expelled youth. II. Identify gaps in education to expelled pupils and strategies for filling them. III. Identify alternative placements for pupils who are expelled and placed in community day schools, but who fail to meet terms and conditions of their rehabilitation plans or who pose a danger to other district pupils. Siskiyou County. Siskiyou County, at the top of the state, is one of the largest counties in California with one of the smallest populations. The county's twenty nine school districts are small, and serve a total of approximately 8200 students (average daily attendance) in kindergarten and grades 1-12. With over six thousand square miles in the county, many districts are remotely situated in very small communities. Mountain roads are frequently difficult to negotiate in winter. Alternatives for Expelled Youth. All school districts within Siskiyou County are small and limited with respect to providing educational alternatives to expelled youth. Small school districts are beginning to experience many of the student behaviors that were once attributed only to students who attended schools in large urban school districts. Small school districts, however, are not experiencing large numbers of students who are exhibiting behaviors which result in expulsion. The fact that large numbers of students are not being expelled from small school districts is naturally quite positive; however, it does create a situation where the development of either district or county specific classes or programs for such students is difficult financially and/or geographically. In Siskiyou County, early intervention strategies or pro-active strategies are the major focus of district programs and the subsequent student success. The school districts in Siskiyou County provide early intervention strategies which include, but are not limited to, one-on-one counseling, student study teams, academic and emotional assessments, parent support meetings, in-school suspension, off-campus suspension, special education services, after school activities, conflict management, and student contracts. Existing Educational Alternatives Because of the very low rate of expulsion for students in the small schools of Siskiyou County, there are few existing alternatives for expelled youth. These are categorized below based on the severity of the expellable offense. Generally, the Education Code restricts the allowable classroom alternatives for youth expelled for the most serious offenses to a court school, a county community school, or a district community day school. The serious offenses are related to guns, knives, drugs, and sexual battery (E.C. 48915 (a) and (c)). Alternatives for Students Expelled for Serious Offenses Programs Serving Students Expelled for Any Offense LEA Alternative Program Location Grades of Students County Supt. Office N. Co. Community School Jackson Street, Yreka K - 8 County Supt. Office S. Co. Community School near Weed Elem. K - 8 County Supt. Office Court School Juvenile Hall, Yreka 7-12, or younger Alternatives for Students Expelled for Less Serious Offenses Due to the less serious nature of the offense, the Education Code allows more options for providing alternatives for students expelled for such offenses listed in (E.C. 48915 (e)). County Community School. Middle school age students expelled for less serious offenses may be served in the county community school classrooms. Within the District at a different site. Education Code Section 48915 (f) allows the governing board to place a student expelled for a less serious offense in an alternative program at another school site within the district upon certification by the County Superintendent that no other alternative program is available which is not on a school site, except that the student may not be placed at the site from which the expulsion occurred. In another district by student request. The student may request enrollment at another district as described in E.C. 48915.1 during the period of expulsion for a less serious offense , amended by AB 2834, chaptered 9-26-96. Independent Study (E.C. 51747 (c) (7). A student expelled for a less serious offense may be offered independent study, provided that an appropriate alternative classroom program is offered as a choice, and the on-site portion of the independent study does not occur on the site from which the student was expelled (E.C. 48916.1 (c)). The alternative of classroom instruction includes another district site, or the County community school for Grades 7-8 students (waiver pending for younger). Gaps in Educational Program for Expelled Pupils and Strategies for Filling Them. Gap. No alternative classroom program in the county for unincarcerated serious offender of high school age. The greatest impact of the passage of AB 922 has been on the high schools of Siskiyou County. Approximately ten years ago, the few community school classrooms operated by the County Superintendent's Office served high school students. During that time period, more high school districts in Siskiyou County began operating continuation schools. High school students previously referred to community school classrooms were now served in continuation schools. The county community schools targeted a new student population and began serving students of middle school age. The result is that there is no county community school serving high school students during the 1996-97 year. While remoteness and distance from services of elementary and high school districts result in limited access for many expelled youth of all ages, the lack of a county community school classroom serving high school students results in no alternative classroom program in the county for the unincarcerated high school student expelled for a serious offense. Strategy. Representative high school superintendents are meeting with the County Superintendent's staff to discuss strategies to fill this gap. Gap. County Community School. No formal procedure has been established to remove, if necessary, expelled students from county community school classes. County community school staff are dedicated and experienced in educating students with difficult behaviors. Training is provided to that end. Some behaviors are unacceptable, however, and either put staff and other students at risk of serious injury, or interfere on a prolonged basis with the teacher's ability to teach and other students ability to learn. Strategy. Establish procedures to permanently remove expelled students from county community school classrooms when necessary... Other Gaps 1) A student could be expelled from and referred to the county community school program. This student could then commit another serious violation , or simply not attend, and ultimately be referred back to the original district. 2) The small school districts within Siskiyou County generally expel very few students during the course of a school year. Providing a special class or program for such students, at each district, is not financially feasible. 3) Due to the significant geographical distances between Siskiyou County districts, complete access to existing county community school sites would require either extensive busing, which is not financially feasible for the districts, or parent provided transportation, which is often impossible for the parents. Alternative placements for students removed from community day schools. No district in Siskiyou County operates a community day school. There are no alternative classroom placements for unincarcerated expelled students removed from county community schools during the period of their expulsions. Discussion. Prior to permanent removal of a student from the county community school, independent study is utilized which reduces the amount of classroom contact hours to as little as five hours per week with fifteen hours of independent work at home. If the student fails the independent study placement, and if reassigning the student to the county community school classroom is no longer feasible due to potential disruption or danger caused by the student, the student is removed from the county community school program and referred back to the district of residence.