5114 Appendix 5114 AppendixProvision of an Alternative Educational Opportunity for
Eligible Expelled Students
The following procedures shall be followed, in concert with policy #5114/5131/5144 (choose which) by District personnel pertaining to the required provision of an alternative educational opportunity for expelled students eligible for such program.
Options for Alternative Educational Opportunity
The District shall provide an alternative educational opportunity for eligible expelled students by exercising one of the following two permissible options.
1. Enroll the student in an alternative education program which is compliant with requirements for such programs, including the length of school year and number of hours, with an individualized learning plan IF the district provides such alternative education, (use of this option requires the alternative education program to comply with C.G.S. 10-74j which requires adherence to C.G.S. 10-15 and 10-6 requiring a minimum of 180 days and 900 hours of actual school work per year) and the program is appropriate for the student. OR
2. Provide the student with an alternative educational opportunity in accordance with the State Board of Education (SBOE) adopted standards, including through an alternative education program offered by another school district or operator. (A standard program for its alternative educational opportunity providing such program meets the other requirements of the Standards, including the individualized learning plan.)
State Department of Education (SDE) Positions to Consider
1. In order to properly implement the provision of an alternative educational opportunity to expelled students, whether the District implements option #1 or #2 above, the District must comply with the SBOE adopted (1/3/18) Standards.
2. SDE “expects that, in most cases, school districts will determine that enrollment in an alternative education program⃛is the appropriate alternative educational opportunity” for an expelled student. Such an alternative education program could be operated by the local district or another provider.
3. There may be “unusual cases” where placement in an alternative education program may not be appropriate or available.
4. The alternative educational opportunity must be “full-time” and “comprehensive,” and such opportunity for learning is comparable to a regular school setting. (This provides the district that does not provide placement for the expelled student in alternative educational program some flexibility in developing an alternative educational opportunity that provides comparable learning opportunities for the expelled student without dictating a certain number of minimum instructional hours, but, per the Standards, must be “full-time” and “comprehensive.”)
5. Assignment to homebound instruction will not satisfy the “Guiding Principles” of the Standards.
Requirements of Standards for Alternative Educational Opportunities for Students Who Have Been Expelled
Guiding Principles
Consistent with the Guidelines for Alternative Education Settings, these standards are grounded in the conviction that alternative educational opportunities for students who have been expelled should exhibit the following characteristics:
· whole student approach that addresses the personal, social, emotional, intellectual, work skills, safety, and security needs of all students in addition to academic content (including the Connecticut Core Standards);
· full time, comprehensive experience, where the learning is comparable to what the student would experience in a regular school environment;
· instruction that is based on a curriculum aligned to the Connecticut Core Standards unless modified as indicated by goals and objectives of an Individualized Education Program (IEP);
· high expectations that are consistent with LEA goals and Connecticut state standards including the belief that all students are capable and can be successful regardless of their discipline history; and
· research/evidence-based practices with student success in mind including the engagement of parents/guardians and families as well as community partners, as appropriate.
These principles are unlikely to be satisfied by assignment to homebound instruction.
Requirements of Standards for Alternative Educational Opportunities for Students Who Have Been Expelled
The SBOE adopted Standards for Alternative Educational Opportunities require the District to:
1. Provide a full time, comprehensive alternative educational opportunity, with a focus on an opportunity for learning that is comparable to those in a regular school setting.
2. Notify parents/students at the time of expulsion of the right to apply for early readmission, which can be granted at the discretion of the Board of Education or the Superintendent, if the Board delegates this authority to the Superintendent (C.G.S. 10-233(j)). (The criteria for early readmission should be recorded in the individualized learning plan (ILP)).
3. Meet with parents/guardians prior to placement to provide information about potential alternative educational opportunities and a placement meeting to finalize such placement. (Such meeting can take place directly after the expulsion hearing.)
4. Consult with relevant school personnel knowledgeable about the student’s academic, social and behavioral history to help in the determination of an appropriate alternative educational opportunity.
5. Involve the PPT for expelled special education students who are determined to have educational programming and placement during the period of expulsion in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA).
6. Develop an Individualized Learning Plan (ILP) to address:
· Information pertaining to the student’s academic and behavioral needs and appropriate academic and behavioral goals and interventions including the core classes and current placement or progress in the curriculum of those classes at the time of expulsion.
· Benchmarks to measure progress towards the goals and progress towards graduation. (This will include monitoring attendance, work completion, and progress toward meeting the coursework’s academic standards.)
· Reviewing the student’s progress and communicating that progress to parent/guardian or student. (What would be done for students generally.)
· Transfer of records to/from the alternative educational provider and the school from which the student was expelled.
· Language pertaining to the possibility of early readmission to the school from which the student was expelled.
7. Monitor progress of student performance and placement. (This must be done and documented at least once per marking period, review of the student’s ILP and make any needed adjustments.)
8. Adopt procedures to address a student’s transition from an alternate educational opportunity to the student’s regular school. (The criterion for readmission is the completion of the expulsion period.)
Procedural Steps to be taken by District following the Expulsion of a Student to Provide the Required Alternative Educational Opportunity
The Superintendent or his/her designee is responsible for the fulfillment of the following:
1. Determine the eligibility of the expelled student for an alternative education opportunity.
a. The student is under the age of sixteen (16) and must be offered an alternative educational opportunity.
b. The student is between the ages of sixteen (16) and eighteen (18) and has not been previously expelled and wishes to continue his or her education shall be offered such an alternative educational opportunity. (The District is not obligated to provide an alternative educational opportunity to students in this age bracket who have been previously expelled, even if the prior expulsion occurred before the student was sixteen years of age.)
c. The student is eighteen years of age or older and the Board of Education is not obligated to provide an alternative educational opportunity.
d. Other considerations:
i. Any parent/guardian of an expelled student who does not choose to have his or her child enrolled in an alternative educational opportunity shall not be subject to the provision of Section 10-184 of the Connecticut General Statutes regarding school attendance.
ii. A student seventeen (17) years of age or older may be assigned to an adult education program and not be required to withdraw from school per C.G.S. 10-184.
iii. The student may be placed in a regular classroom program of a school other than the one from which the student has been excluded.
iv. A student expelled for the sale or distribution of a controlled substance, shall be referred to an appropriate state or local agency for rehabilitation, intervention or job training, or any combination thereof.
v. A student expelled for possession of a firearm, deadly weapon, dangerous instruments (those that can be used to cause death or serious injury) or martial arts weapons shall be reported to the local police department.
vi. An expelled special education student’s alternative educational opportunity shall be established by the IEP team (PPT).
2. Determine the appropriate option for the alternative educational opportunity option to be offered to the expelled student.
a. Enroll the student in an alternative education program operated by the District which is compliant with requirements for such programs, (hours, length of school year and number of hours) with an individualized learning plan IF the district provides such alternative education.
b. Provide the student with an alternative educational opportunity in accordance with the SBOE adopted standards, including through an alternative education program offered by another school district or operator. (A standard program for its alternative educational opportunity providing such program meets the other requirements of the Standards, including the individualized learning plan.)
3. Consult with relevant school personnel knowledgeable about the student to obtain information regarding the student’s academic, social and behavioral history that will help inform the decision concerning an appropriate alternative educational opportunity. The input shared by school personnel may be gathered via written reports.
4. Meet with the student’s parent(s)/guardian(s) prior to placement to provide information concerning the potentially appropriate alternative educational opportunities for the student.
5. Hold a placement meeting after parents/guardians have been informed and the appropriate school personnel have shared information regarding the student.
a. Explore all alternative educational opportunities at this meeting.
b. The placement decision should be made at this meeting.
c. Other considerations:
i. Parents/students, at the time of expulsion, should be informed of the right to apply for early readmission, which can be granted at the discretion of the Board of Education or Superintendent (if the BOE delegates this authority to the Superintendent under C.G.S. Section 10-233d(j)).
ii. Any criteria for early readmission to the school from which the student has been expelled should be recorded in the Individualized Learning Plan (ILP).
6. Development of an Individualized Learning Plan (ILP) to inform and direct the student’s learning goals and activities for the duration of the expulsion.
a. After placement in the alternative education opportunity, an ILP must be developed to govern the student’s programming during period of the expulsion.
b. Develop the ILP through collaboration among school personnel, the student and the parent/guardian.
c. Reference student records with information relevant to the alternative educational opportunity. (student success plan, Individualized Education Program (IEP) under special education, Section 504 Plan, Individualized Health Plan, and/or other academic and behavioral data.)
d. The student’s ILP is to contain:
i. The student’s academic and behavioral needs and appropriate academic and behavioral goals and interventions;
ii. The student’s core classes at the time of expulsion;
iii. The student’s current placement or progress in the curriculum of those classes so that the student has an opportunity to continue to progress in the LEA’s academic program and earn graduation credits, if applicable;
iv. Benchmarks to measure progress towards the goals and ultimately, progress towards graduation;
v. Timing and method for reviewing the student’s progress and for communicating that progress to the parent/guardian or student; (For most students, monitoring and reviewing the student’s progress will include monitoring the student’s attendance, work completion and progress toward meeting the relevant academic standards for particular coursework, and thus progressing toward graduation, if applicable.)
· The progress monitoring of student performance and placement must be done and documented at least once per marking period, including a review of the ILP and the making of any necessary adjustments.
vi. Such progress to be communicated to the parent/guardian and/or student with the same frequency as similar progress for students in the regular school environment is reported and communicated to parents/guardians or students;
vii. Provision for the timely transfer of the student’s records both from the student’s school to the alternative educational opportunity provider, and also from the alternative educational opportunity provider to the student’s school; and
viii. The possibility of early readmission to the school from which the student was expelled and the early readmission criteria.
ix. A process for transition planning based upon the following considerations:
· Efforts to readmit students at semester start points at the high school level to facilitate re-entry;
· A plan to transfer the student’s credits and record back to the school from which the student was expelled;
· The student’s needs for academic and other supports upon return to the home school environment; and
· Efforts to connect returning students with opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities to support student engagement and general health and development.
7. If a determination is made that placement in the current alternative educational opportunity is no longer beneficial to an expelled student but it is also inappropriate to have the student return to the school from which the student was expelled, a plan for different alternative educational opportunities should be developed, following the procedure outlined above.
8. Students who have a student success plan as mandated by state law, such plan may inform the ILP but does not replace the ILP.