Class offers suspended students a new safety net

Charlie doesn't think he's bad at heart, but even he admits he's got a temper and a firm grasp of colorful adjectives.

Those qualities have landed the 15-year-old three suspensions from a local junior high school this year. The first suspension caused some of his grades to drop by as much as 6 percentage points.

But during Charlie's last two falls from grace, a new net was in place to catch him.

In November, the Cape Girardeau County Juvenile Office opened a suspension classroom -- also known as the options program -- to give suspended students like Charlie an opportunity to earn credit for their classwork.

Most of the students are there for acts of insubordination such as using inappropriate language or arguing with a teacher. But the punishment for those infractions can lead to much bigger consequences for students, especially those already considered at risk.

"Charlie's a great kid. He's not dangerous. But if no one takes an interest in him, I can see him unemployed, maybe an alcoholic," said John Buchheit, the county's chief deputy juvenile officer who helps operate the suspension program.

"Students like Charlie are already behind, and getting suspended just puts them further behind," Buchheit said. "We give them an opportunity to make some of their work up."

Suspension policies vary in local districts. In Jackson, suspended students are allowed to make up coursework, but not all choose to do so. In Cape Girardeau, losing class credit is part of a student's suspension unless they take part in the suspension classroom.

The half-day program, which is in a conference room at the Common Pleas Courthouse Annex in Cape Girardeau, accepts students ages 12 to 16 who have been suspended 10 or fewer days.

The idea came from the county's chief juvenile officer, Randy Rhodes, who operated a similar program 20 years ago in Fredericktown, Mo.

Rhodes cited a 2003 policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics that highlighted the effects suspension and expulsion can have on students: falling grades and, in cases where there is no alternative program, alienation, delinquency, crime and substance abuse.

"I don't want kids at home unsupervised all day while both parents are working," Rhodes said. "That's a dangerous situation."

If a student misbehaves in the suspension classroom, parents are notified and the student is not allowed back.

The program is funded by a grant from the Division of Youth Services and also offers free counseling services through New Vision Counseling. Parents drop their children off at the courthouse at 8 a.m., and a juvenile officer drives them home at noon.

'A little more motivated'

Central Junior High School assistant principal Brenda McCowan said she has sent students who have problems skipping school and those who have trouble doing classwork to the suspension classroom.

"Usually it produces some results. The students come back a little more motivated," McCowan said. "And the teachers here have said that the work comes back just beautiful."

All of the students who show up for the class, which is taught by former Cape Girardeau public schools teacher Sarah Schermann, are there voluntarily.

Most are already failing their classes, and some have learning disabilities such as attention deficit disorder.

"Kids make mistakes," said Schermann, who has 10 years of teaching experience. "The punishment has already been given. I'm just trying to turn these students back on to learning and succeeding in school."

Since it opened three months ago, the classroom has drawn 25 students from high schools and junior highs in Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Delta. The program is limited to eight students per day, and there is no cost to the schools.

Steve Lukens, assistant principal at R.O. Hawkins Junior High in Jackson, said the program has been great for his school.

"The students don't lose an attendance day, and they come back here caught up and ready to step back into the classroom," Lukens said. "It's a wonderful setup for us. I wish we had more of it."

'I actually like this better'

In Charlie's case, in-school suspension and out-of-school suspension have had little effect on his behavior. However, he recognizes that the suspension classroom is helping him.

"It's good to have a place to go, and a way to make up my work," Charlie said. "I actually like this better than regular school."

He likes the laid-back atmosphere of the classroom, and the one-on-one help he receives from Schermann and her teaching aide.

The suspension classroom is across from the county assessor and collector's offices and contains a video camera linked to live monitors at the juvenile office upstairs and the juvenile detention center at 325 Merriwether.

Buchheit said it's basically a one-room schoolhouse which gives the students more individualized attention.

"A lot of these students get more work done in four hours here than they have all semester," Buchheit said.

cclark@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128