Alternative program gets dedicated campus

The programs for at-risk students with Poplar Bluff R-I expanded during the 2019-20 school year and are preparing to move to a dedicated campus.

These programs include the RISE Transition Center for grades 7-12 and the Graduation Center for high school students.

While the two programs serve different groups of students, both focus on allowing students in non-traditional situations to continue their education.

The RISE — which stands for restore, inspire, support and enlighten — Transition Center started this year. It was housed at the central office.

“The RISE Center has provided us a place for students to continue their education when he or she isn’t able to do so on the home campus for discipline issues,” Misty Dodson, attendance officer, said.

It served as a pilot program and will be a component of the full alternative school, planned to open at the Mark Twain campus this fall.

During its first year, the program had 15 semester-based students and 26 suspended students, Dobson said.

As part of the program, students address social and emotional skills in small group sessions and counselors are on hand to provide trauma-informed care.

Former juvenile officer Dee Jones worked with the district on plans for the program before being hired as lead teacher. She works with the students on continuing their studies in this smaller classroom setting. Students do most of the curriculum through online programs. The school board approved the hiring of two staff members for the Transition Center in May 2019 with the hope that it would be financially net neutral because of those students’ increased attendance, according to prior reporting.

Meanwhile, the Graduation Center had fewer students for the 2019-20 school year than the year prior.

The program is for high school students who need help to graduate. Its goal is to increase graduation rates and keep students from dropping out, according to board documents.

Dobson said the goal of the program is to provide a place for high school students to continue their education in a smaller setting with guided instruction.

This year, it had 61 students compared to 72 last year, with at least 14 scheduled to graduate — the number isn’t finalized — compared to 41 last year.

Combined, the two programs cost the district $294,000 this year, according to board documents.

Both will move over the summer to the Mark Twain campus, which will be an alternative school designed for students whose needs would be better met in a non-traditional environment.

While these can be disciplinary reasons, they also can include other reasons for either a short-term or long-term move, Dr. Scott Dill, superintendent, said.

The district hired Corey Jameson, current teacher at the Graduation Center, to serve as principal for the school, and four additional positions, and 12 staff members are moving from other campuses.

The school should be able to house between 120-140 students, which is more than double what the two programs served this year.