FILE: IDDG
ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS EDUCATION PROGRAM
The Caldwell Parish School Board recognizes that exclusion from the educational program of the schools, whether by suspension or expulsion, is the most severe sanction that can be imposed on a student and one that cannot be imposed without due process, since expulsion deprives a student of the right to an education.
Students suspended for more than ten (10) days or expelled from school shall remain under the supervision of the school system using an alternative education program designed to continue the educational process in an alternative educational placement. The alternative education program is designed to offer variations of traditional instructional programs and strategies for the purpose of increasing the likelihood that students who are unmotivated or unsuccessful in the traditional programs or who are disruptive in the traditional school environment remain in school and earn course credits when possible, and to provide assistance with social skills and work habits.
A student placed in an alternative school or an alternative education program shall attend and participate in such school, program, or education services. The parent, tutor, or legal guardian of any such student shall ensure attendance of the student as required. The Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance, with the approval of the Superintendent, shall have the authority to file court proceedings to enforce the attendance requirements.
Upon the request of the student's parent, tutor, or other person responsible for the student's school attendance, a student enrolled in school between ages of sixteen (16) and eighteen (18) years may be allowed, with approval of the School Board, to attend an alternative education program.
The School Board may solicit and contract with an education service provider to provide educational services to students placed in an alternative school or an alternative education program. Alternative educational services to be rendered shall be in accordance with state law and rules and regulations promulgated by the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Other alternative education programs may be available for students with special needs. These programs are enumerated in the School Board's Pupil Progression Plan.
TRANSPORTATION
Transportation to and from the alternative school may be provided by parish school buses, provided the misbehavior that resulted in the suspension/expulsion did not occur on a parish school bus. An agreement prepared by the Caldwell Parish Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance, must be signed by the student, parent/guardian, and the Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance, which states the requirements for the student’s behavior on the parish bus. Any misbehavior on the parish bus will result in the student being immediately removed from the parish bus for the duration of the suspension/expulsion. Transportation for Special Education students will be determined by a discussion with the parent/guardian, pupil appraisal, and the Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance. For students who lose their privilege to ride a parish bus, transportation must be provided by the parent/guardian, so that the student arrives at the school ready for class at the regular beginning time each day. It is the parent/guardian’s responsibility to pick up the student promptly at the appointed time for dismissal. Any deviation from this procedure will result in a longer assignment for the student at the alternative school.
Revised: February, 2010
Revised: November, 2012
Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:7.5, 17:100.5, 17:221, 17:224, 17:416.2
Alternative Education Schools/Programs Standards, Bulletin 131, Louisiana Department of Education
Board minutes, 7-14-09, 2-12-13
Caldwell Parish School Board