Advice STARS Program Gives Suspended and Expelled Students a Way Back
by Dee Lindenberger, Strategic Alternatives in Prevention Education (SAPE) Associate, Marquette-Alger Regional Education Service Agency
In spite of a growing body of evidence indicating the ineffectiveness of removal from school as a disciplinary strategy, suspensions and expulsions have increased during the past decade. Not only do schools lose revenue when students are removed from school, but the negative impact on students can be long term and irreversible. This is especially true for students from minority cultures and those with special needs, who are disproportionately suspended and expelled. Many students never recover from the educational gap and lack of supervision that result from school removal. In addition to not being effective in changing behavior, a number of unintended consequences are likely to result, including increased incidents of dropping out of school, teenage pregnancy and parenting, and escalating antisocial behaviors that lead to involvement with the juvenile court system.
There are times when it is necessary to remove students from school. However, in those cases, it is in the best interest of students and schools to give the students “a way back”––to provide supportive strategies during removal that are designed to help students be successful, behaviorally and academically, upon their re-entry. In fact, this support is mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for students with disabilities who are removed from school for more than ten days in a school year (see boxed item below).
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Waterford Fire Department Chief Dennis Storrs and Chadd Rasas, a Service STARS student, stand in front of the engines at Station #1. Chief Storrs is Chadd’s mentor for community service and has placed him in the Cadet
program at department headquarters. |
In collaboration with The Michigan Strategic Alternatives in Prevention Education (SAPE) Association, 15 Michigan schools have been working on a federally-funded initiative from the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) to implement research-based strategies designed to reconnect suspended and expelled students to school and to learning.* The following are highlights from efforts in one school in the Detroit metro area.
The Waterford School District developed the Service STARS Program (Students Temporarily Away from School) to provide suspended and expelled students with services to ensure success upon their return to school. Service STARS includes:
- PLATO: (a computer assisted instruction program) and Life Skills Program (a curriculum integrating Glasser Choice Theory, Restorative Conferencing, and Team-Building): PLATO and Life Skills provide students with the opportunity to keep up educationally and gain crucial life skills. Credit is offered for completion.
- Educational Development Plan (EDP): All students complete or update their own EDP. According to the Department of Labor and Economic Growth Office of Technical and Career Education, each Michigan student should develop an initial EDP before beginning high school, stating an initial career goal and desired work and educational experiences. Students should update this EDP from time to time, and the school should keep an ongoing record of career planning that will guide the student in taking effective steps to enter her/his career of choice. A school’s success in meeting this goal is one of Michigan’s Education Yes! “Indicators of School Performance” and is reported on the school’s annual report card.
- Community Service: Based upon strengths and career goals identified in their EDP, students are matched with a community service project where they work for the duration of their school removal with the support of a community-based mentor. A wide range of community partnerships have been developed for placements (e.g., Meals on Wheels, the fire and police departments, a cultural center, Department of Parks and Recreation, an early childhood center, a township attorney, and a senior center.)
- Self-Skills Counseling: Working with a counselor, students identify life goals and the be-havioral changes needed to help them achieve them.
- School Re-entry Plan: Students develop a work plan to return to school based upon their academic, behavioral, and career goals.
“Kids see that there’s someone there who believes in them academically––and there’s someone there who works with them on behavior, helping them look at their risky behavior and thinking through their goals,” says Dr. L. Jerry Blanchard, Service STARS coordinator. Belief in students, along with the support of a strong school-community team, has resulted in a 180 degree turnaround for approximately 90 percent of the students in the Service STARS program.
Every suspended and expelled student who has returned to school after participating in Service STARS this year has returned successfully and is doing well academically and behaviorally. This includes some students who were involved with the court system and on probation for serious offenses. In the words of Dr. Blanchard, “It’s important students realize there are consequences, but they need to believe it’s possible to overcome them.” That’s something that Service STARS helps them do––the program gives students a way back.
For more information, contact: Dr. Jerry Blanchard, Service STARS Grant Coordinator, Waterford School District, 2989 Van Zandt, Waterford, MI 48329, (248) 674-3145, blanch_01@wsdmi.org or Elizabeth Haller, Michigan Department of Education, P.O. Box 30008, 608 W. Allegan St., Lansing, MI 48909, (517) 335-0565, (517) 373-1233 fax, hallere@michigan.gov.
*The 15 Michigan schools working on this federally-funded initiative are: Benton Harbor, Baraga, Detroit Crosman, Detroit Trombly, Flint, Grand Rapids, Huron Intermediate School District, Hazel Park, Lake Orion, Muskegon Area Intermediate School District, Port Huron, Potterville, South Redford, Traverse Area, and Waterford.
Law Guarantees a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for Students With Special Needs Who Are Suspended or Expelled
When a student with a disability, or a student who is suspected of
having a disability, is removed from school for ten or more days in a school year, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires the school to provide services that will enable the child to make progress toward academic and behavioral goals. One way schools accomplish this is to develop a written Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) that addresses replacement behavior and reinforcement for independent student work. BIPs incorporate Positive Behavior Support (PBS) to address academic and behavior concerns.
The Michigan Department of Education (MDE), Office of Special Education Services and Early Intervention Services has prepared several documents to help schools and families understand the special protections afforded students with disabilities who have been suspended or expelled. Read these documents at www.cenmi.org or contact Ron Greiner, Coordinator for Policy, Planning, and Compliance, Michigan Department of Education, P.O. Box 30008, Lansing, MI 48909, (517) 335-0461, GreinerR@michigan.gov.
Reconnecting with Students
Michigan schools participating in the MDE’s project to reconnect with suspended and expelled students share some common components: They provide a form of structure for students through community service and support services designed to help them be successful upon re-entry to school. When the school and community work together in partnership to provide support for suspended and expelled students, everyone wins: The school retains an academically and behaviorally successful student, the community benefits from the services of the student’s contributions, and the student has a chance to learn from the experience and successfully complete her/his education–– perhaps changing the entire trajectory of the student’s life. |
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