Despite our long-standing opposition to charter schools — the devastating effect they’re
Despite our long-standing opposition to charter schools — the devastating effect they’re having on public education in Ohio is not overcome by any academic superiority — we find ourselves supporting one that will be opening this fall.
That’s because the new Mahoning County High School is a lifeline for students facing expulsion from their regular high schools for misbehavior. In the past, such delinquents and truants faced a future that was bleak, at best. Their job prospects without a high school diploma were slim to none, while for a good many, the prospects of their becoming a statistic in the criminal justice system were a sure thing.
With between 900 and 1,000 young people facing expulsion for a variety of reasons, the need to keep them from becoming society’s dropouts is evident.
The Mahoning County High School, which will open in the fall and provide both academic and vocational education, is designed to meet that need.
It was conceived by Juvenile Court Judge Theresa Dellick and Dr. Harold Yiannaki, an administrator emeritus at Youngstown State University, and Cynthia Cairnes, an administrator with the Mahoning County Educational Service Center, to serve the entire county.
First-hand experience
Judge Dellick’s first-hand experience with juveniles in trouble with the law has given her the insight to develop non-traditional solutions for what ails this segment of the population.
That is why one of the key elements of the new high school will be behavior modification. While to some the words carry a negative connotation, for a number of students in the city, the lack of social skills is the root cause of their inability to get along with teachers and other students. Their disruptive behavior undermines teaching and learning for all.
Under the program developed by Dellick and others, students will appear in the juvenile court facing expulsion and juvenile criminal charges for offenses ranging from truancy to assault on a teacher. They will be placed on probation and serve that probation by completing their education at the special high school.
There is possibility of probationers returning to their regular schools if they improve their academic performance and personal behavior.
While these students will not be jailed, they will be under the control of the court and the school from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday. After school hours, they will do homework and participate in other programs.
Those who have jobs will be permitted to go to work after the school day.
Dellick also is creating an Educational Center, similar to the juvenile Drug Court, to monitor student performance and behavior at the school. The court will be located in the school and students will initially appear before it once a week.
Seeing as how the system is refusing to give up on these young people, parental or guardian involvement should also be a requirement.
It defeats the purpose of helping students change the direction of their lives if when they go home there is no reinforcement from adults.