District reacts to alternative-school allegations

BY ANDREA EGER World Staff Writer
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
3/20/08 at 11:30 AM

Several Tulsa school board members, parents, and a state expert in alternative education reacted Tuesday to allegations of crowding and physical violence at a new alternative school.

Brian Hunt, who was elected to represent District 5 on the school board in February, said he contact ed district administrators after reading the Tulsa World's report Tuesday about the Performance Training Program at the Tulsa Academic Center.

"I learned that a range of ideas, including but not limited to a moratorium on all new student referrals to TAC, as well as adding more staff such as security guards and a scheduling clerk in the interim, are being considered," Hunt said.

"The program had been a concern to me during my campaign, and I'm looking forward to seeing some proactive solutions," he added.

Superintendent Michael Zolkoski founded the Tulsa Academic Center in August after closing four other alternative schools: the Pershing Alternative Center, the Phoenix Center, the Lindsey Learning Academy and the Twilight Academy.

Zolkoski said he wanted to streamline alternative education offerings in the Tulsa district, and he criticized the existing programs for having a student return rate of 40 percent.

Zolkoski was returning from an out-of-state vacation Tuesday and was unavailable for comment.

Janice Jones of the Tulsa Public Schools public information office said Rick Palazzo, director of alternative programs, would be available for questions after he meets with Zolkoski on Wednesday.

A teacher at the school and two former students told the Tulsa World that physical fights among students are daily occurrences and that staff members are frequently attacked.

The teacher, who asked not to be named, also said that as many as 25 new students are referred to the program every week from middle and high schools across Tulsa.

Gary Lytal, assistant to the superintendent for accountability and research, estimated that about 300 students are at the Tulsa Academic Center, but as many as 100 more could still be on the school's roll "due to a backlog of incoming and withdrawing students."

"We're working very diligently to come up with exact numbers as we can, even though it's in constant fluctuation," Lytal said. "Kids are referred there all the time, but it may be a week to 10 days before they show up. In some cases, they never show up, and then they are dropped" from the rolls.

School board member Matt Livingood, who represents Memorial High School and its feeder pattern, said the allegations of crowding and violence raise several questions for him.

"Are we adequately staffed to meet the needs of the students that are sent there, and do we have a good understanding of when it is appropriate to refer a student to the program?" he asked.

Livingood said he has been expecting TPS to review the program's effectiveness because it is new and unlike any other program in the district.

"Last year, a larger number of folks were suspended out of school, and one of the goals of this program was to reduce that number, so we shifted that balance," he said.

Reportedly, the number of suspensions in TPS through February was 3,700, compared with nearly 6,000 during the same August to February period in 2006-07.

Kathy McKean is the director of the Oklahoma Technical Assistance Center and a leading expert in the field of alternative education in the state.

She said research has shown that disciplinary or punitive models of alternative schools are not as effective in reducing dropouts as ones that offer students a less-traditional school environment and small class sizes.

"There are two models that have won national awards sitting right there in Tulsa County," she said. "They're Street School and the Union Alternative Center.

"If a district is establishing a new program or would like to improve an existing one, we're there to help them," McKean said.

She added that grants are available to alternative schools that meet the 17 criteria established in Oklahoma statutes. The first component is student-teacher ratios that are conducive to effective learning for at-risk students.

Kelly Hawkins, the father of an Edison Preparatory School senior who dropped out of the program after he was threatened by a gang member, questioned the program's philosophy.

"When you have kids with social difficulties, the thing to do is isolate them as individuals a bit and try to get them some help," Hawkins said. "You don't throw them into the seventh circle of hell and expect them to rise above it."

The mother of another student, who left the program after a few days in favor of a long-term suspension, said the program adds to troubled youths' burdens.

The woman, who asked not to be named, sobbed as she described how she and her husband had no indication that their son was using marijuana until school officials found a small amount of it in his car.

"This was the first discipline offense of his entire life and a common problem facing several families today," she said. "I don't expect this to be overlooked or an easy way out, but I don't expect it to be compounded . . . by a system we have paid to support.

"He was only there for four days, and he called every day and said he was afraid for his life."

Andrea Eger 581-8470
andrea.eger@tulsaworld.com

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Brian Hunt: “The program had been a concern to me,” says the new board member.