The Board of Education recognizes that the regular school program may not be appropriate for all students and that certain students may need special programs to help them overcome attendance, academic, and/or behavioral problems.

An alternative education program is a temporary authorized departure from the regular school program designed to provide educational and social development for students whose disruptive behavior places them at risk of not succeeding in the traditional school structures and in adult life without positive interventions.

The purpose of this policy is to provide a safe and orderly learning environment for the education of all students in the County Schools and to meet the educational needs of disruptive students.

The alternative education programs for disruptive students will encompass the following:

The Board may request a waiver of State Board of Education policies and regulations in the development and operation of alternative education programs directly from the State Superintendent.

Students may be placed in alternative education programs for:

Students who have been expelled must be placed in an alternative education program unless found to be a dangerous student under the procedures set forth in WV Code 18A-5-1a.

Students who have been suspended or expelled from a public or private school in another West Virginia county or in another state, but are now found within this County, may not be denied enrollment unless determined to be a "dangerous student" under the procedures set forth in WV Code 18A-5-1a.

Placement decisions, excluding short-term in-school suspension, shall be made by the Alternative Education Placement Team with the opportunity for the participation of the student's parent/guardians.

The Alternative Education Placement Team shall develop a student's written plan which includes academic courses and behavioral components, criteria for re-entry to the regular school program and provisions for periodic review of the student's progress at least on an annual basis. The team for all students with disabilities shall be the IEP team and the written plan shall be the IEP.

The Board shall have an identified written curriculum for alternative education programs based upon State Board of Education approved instructional goals and objectives. The curriculum shall also include a component for teaching and learning responsible behavior. In addition, staff certified in the core subject areas shall participate in the development of the academic curriculum and the assessment measures to determine mastery of instructional goals and objectives.

The County shall deliver instruction in accordance with the following standards:

Students enrolled in alternative education programs shall participate in the State Assessment Program, in accordance with State Board of Education policy 2340 - The Statewide Assessment Program. The test scores for these students shall be counted in the results of the home school of referral.

Students in alternative education programs shall receive school counseling services and/or other support services such as school social work or psychological services as indicate in the student's written plan.

The Board shall comply with applicable State and Federal laws and regulations in the education of exceptional students placed in alternative education programs.

Parents, families, community, and business members through a variety of means will be encouraged, to become involved in the student's education. Law enforcement and probation officers will be involved when deemed appropriate for the student's success.

The Board shall grant units of credit for work satisfactorily completed in an alternative education program. Units of credit based upon mastery of performance criteria may be granted as an alternative to the standard units of credit.

It is the responsibility of the County Board to select the most qualified applicant(s) to implement the alternative education program. Classroom teachers shall be selected on the basis of the teachers' demonstration of competence in meeting the following standards:

A teacher assigned to deliver the academic subjects within an alternative education program must possess a West Virginia professional teaching certificate in any area.

A Temporary Authorization valid for one (1) year shall be obtained by the successful candidate(s) of the alternative education program position(s). The Superintendent must verify that the applicant possesses the competencies identified above. The Temporary Authorization shall be required to be renewed each year based on the applicant's continued employment in an alternative education program.

Students may complete an alternative education program in one (1) of the following manners:

The Board shall conduct and annual evaluation of the effectiveness of the program(s).

The State Department of Education shall review compliance with alternative education requirements and the effectiveness of alternative programs through monitoring and review of the electronic County Strategic Plan. The program shall be evaluated on the basis of its stated goals and the provisions of West Virginia policy 4373.

The evaluation of the effectiveness of alternative education programs shall focus upon the impact of the program on student performance and results using indicators such as: academic gains; reduction in dropout rates; reduction in incidences requiring disciplinary action; improvement in attendance rates; and return to the regular school program; rates of successful completion of vocational training programs; rates of successful completion of high school graduation or attainment of a G.E.D.; and rates of successful job placement and job retention.

State Board policy 4373
WV Code 18-2-6 and 18-5-19