Examples of Other Community Service-Based Alternative to Suspension Programs

Below you will find descriptions of community service-based alternative to suspension programs throughout the United States.

1. Short-Term Suspension (North Carolina)

The principal contacts the district program coordinator, whose staff has contacts with 30 participating agencies, recruited as partners through the local United Way. Each has signed a participation agreement specifying types of work available, times available, and ages of students accepted. Based on this information, potential worksites are identified to place the student.At the principal's discretion, when a student in middle school or high school is suspended, he or she is offered the option to participate in the community service alternative. The child who satisfactorily complies with community service can complete homework while on suspension and receive credit. The child is also occupied during regular school hours.

Originally funded through district Safe Schools and At-Risk funds, the program now has a grant from the state attorney general's office. Participants have better attendance, a lower dropout rate, fewer repeat disciplinary referrals, and better grades. Local law enforcement is also supportive, because they have seen a drop in petty crimes (e.g., vandalism, shoplifting) by juveniles during school hours.

2. Long-Term Suspension (California)

As a result of NCLB-funded contracts with local school districts, long-term suspended students will be incorporated into this existing service-learning program. Students who have been long-term suspended report to a VISTA office. They complete VISTA-sponsored community service projects together with students from alternative schools who are doing service-learning and some students referred for court-ordered community service.

The program takes a nonpunitive, empowerment approach to providing community service with learning value. Students are assigned to action teams of about a dozen students supervised by two college-age AmeriCorps members and a Civilian Conservation Corps site supervisor. The action team conducts a community needs assessment, then designs and implements a community project to meet an identified need. The team is also responsible for conducting evaluation on completion of their project. One of three service-learning curricula are used to guide the community service process. As a CCC-affiliated site, the program has access to a CCC van for transportation.

3. Short-Term Suspension (North Dakota)

A nonprofit serving at-risk youth has contracted with local school districts to provide a community-service based alternative to suspension using NCLB funding. Students are placed in the program at the discretion of school principals. In the first semester of operation, all students referred received short-term suspensions, usually less than five days and mostly for defiance to teachers. Students can "buy back" days of suspension, in that every day of participation reduces the term of suspension.

In keeping with the perceived intent of NCLB and the desires of local schools, the community service portion is viewed as the punitive part of the program. Because of the short-term nature of the service, there is no learning component (the nonprofit doesn't feel they should be educators are not eager to "fill the role of alternative schools"), but the worksite does fax an evaluation of the student back to the nonprofit, and the work assignment has to be completed satisfactorily to earn the reduction in suspension. The primary barriers so far have been child labor laws (apparently a ND state attorney general's opinion does not distinguish community service from employment) and the difficulty in finding placements for students under age 15.

4. Short-Term Suspension (Pennsylvania)

This district-wide alternative to short-term suspension for grades 6-11 was started in response to a very high out-of-school suspension rate attributed to the district's strict discipline policy. Up to 12 students may be enrolled per day, supervised by two full-time aides, with support from a district coordinator. The program, housed at the alternative school, devotes one-third of the day to academics, one-third to counseling, and one-third to community service.

Students bring work from their home school to complete. A complete set of textbooks is available, and certified teachers of each subject area from the alternative education school rotate into the program to give one-on-one tutoring. The alternative education school has two guidance counselors and one therapist on staff. Depending on the students' infractions, the counselors decide on a topic for a group counseling session. During this time, students may be identified for further one-on-one counseling or for ATOD treatment.

The district funded the program for two years. Now that it is established and can show results, it is largely grant funded. Transportation is a big portion of the cost: about $20,000 per year. Significant financial support comes through small donations from private persons and businesses.

5. Short and Long Term Suspension and Expulsion (Virgina)

Virginia's Community Service Grant Program for Suspended and Expelled Students has created community service-based opportunities for suspended and expelled students in 15 school districts throughout the state. Virginia's program is designed to promote the maximum amount of flexibility possible, in terms of implementation models and community partnerships, for participating school districts. Participating school districts currently partner with over 200 community agencies, in order to ensure quality community service opportunities for participating students. Following a basic program planning design model, participating school disticts can assess needs, identify potential community partners, develop and review assessments, develop research-supported programs, locate and secure resources, and implement customized community service programs in qualified schools.

Virginia's program is not intended to serve as an alternative to suspension or expulsion, but as an opportunity to provide enriching community service opportunities for suspended and expelled youth. The Virginia program encourages participating school districts to develop community service partnerships, which serve the needs of students facing both short and long term suspension and expulsion. Students facing short term suspension are given community service tasks, which allow the students to serve their communities in a meaningful fashion through self-contained activities lasting no more than 10 days. Students facing long term suspension and expulsion, however, are enrolled in activities which require much more sustained contributions on the part of participating students.

CREATING COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUSPENDED AND EXPELLED YOUTH:
VIRGINIA’S EXPERIENCE, a detailed guide outlining Virginia's program and providing models and guidelines for the implementation of similar programs, can be downloaded by clicking this link.