Students expelled from the South Bend Community School Corporation – and those struggling in a traditional classroom – will soon have a new option. The school district rolled out plans for a new alternative education program during Monday’s school board meeting.
The Cornerstone program would serve students in grades six through 10 who are facing expulsion or are recommended by a placement committee. The final decision on whether to enroll would be up to a child’s parents.
Director of Secondary Thomas Sims said South Bend Schools recommended more than 200 students for expulsion last school year, with another 90 so far this year. “The concern with that is that these are some of the most needy students that we have, and expulsion does nothing more than put them out of the business of education, put them into a situation where they’re on their own until they return back to their public home schools,” Sims told board members.
Under the Cornerstone program, students would continue working with teachers from their original school, along with a separate alternative education teacher and teacher assistant. Preliminary plans call for the program to be housed at the former Studebaker School building.
Sims said Cornerstone is designed to meet students’ academic needs, as well as their social and emotional needs. "Every one of our kids will receive a roundtable discussion in the first of their day," Sims explained. "They will also have a pullout. There is a journaling that’s required, which is a meditation time for them."
He said students would be assigned to three weeks, a quarter or a semester in the program, but they’d have the chance to return to their original school sooner if they meet certain benchmarks. Students would make the transition gradually, attending more classes at their home school over time.
School Board member Mark Costello said he’d rather see alternative programs at every school, but he wasn’t opposed to sending students to a centralized location. “We have come a long ways in this school corporation to adjusting to students’ learning behaviors, and I think we’re further ahead with some of our programs than maybe other school corporations, not only in the state but around the country,” Costello said.
Still, he was concerned that a separate alternative school could be perceived as a way to segregate Black students. Sims said committees would use specific rubrics when selecting students, to prevent that from happening.
"So, there are two separate committees that will look at whether or not that student is appropriate," Sims said. "Ethnicity may be one of those pieces where they look at, but the majority of this is really dependent upon the parent."
Meanwhile, board member Marcus Ellison felt Cornerstone would be another good tool the district could offer families. "Not every kid’s going to grow and thrive if they go to virtual," Ellison noted. "Rise Up [Academy] isn’t for every kid. You know, this magnet program or that magnet program’s not for every kid, but for some of our kids, this might be what they need at the time that they need it."
A pilot version of the Cornerstone program could start as soon as January, before it fully launches next fall. There could be room for 60 to 70 students, once it’s up and running.
