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Time-out facility for problem students coming September
Published: Monday | January 26, 2009
Petrina Francis, Staff Reporter
Holness
Students
with behavioural problems will not be allowed in the normal classroom setting come September, as the Ministry of Education finalises plans to place them in time-out facilities.
The Alternate Student Intervention Programme (ASIP), also called the time-out facility, will seek to improve students' attitude, through a behaviour-modification programme, while they continue their education.
Alphansus Davis, senior adviser to Minister of Education Andrew Holness, told The Gleaner that the plan is to have a least one facility ready by September. He said the ministry has conducted four site visits - two in Westmoreland and two in St Elizabeth. A site will also be visited in St Ann this week.
Davis said students with behavioural problems could reside at the site for up to one year.
Partial pull-out
He said those with mild conduct problems would require a "partial pull-out", noting that they would attend the facility each day, then return home in the evenings.
Davis told The Gleaner that the education ministry was looking to use church halls and community centres for the partial pull-outs.
Students who have been expelled might have to be accommodated in the time-out facility because the Government did not want under-18 (year-old) students "walking the streets".
Davis said the Programme for Alternative Student Support (PASS) would be the precursor to ASIP. This is a responsive programme designed to address the needs of secondary-level students with chronic maladaptive behaviours that often lead to interruption of their secondary education.
The programme provides an alternative to suspensions or expulsions and provides opportunities for students in psycholo-gical assessment and/or therapy and ensures that minimal disruptions occur from these behaviours.
Students, he said, would be assessed under PASS. If it is found that they should be removed from the school system, PASS would make the recommendation.
Davis said parents would be integral in this process and would have to agree for their children to be placed on the ASIP.
However, he noted that the Ministry of Education's policy states that children aged three to 18 are to be attached to an institution. To this end, Davis said the education ministry would use the power of transfer to ensure that they participate in the programme.
Integrated back
Meanwhile, Davis said when students are rehabilitated, they would be reintegrated in the normal classroom setting. He explained that they would not necessarily return to the same school.
"But if they are happy with going back to the same school, we will have no problem," he told The Gleaner.
He said trained teachers, social workers, psychologists and guidance counsellors would deliver the programme.
Members of the security forces would be on hand to prevent truancy and provide security for the students at the time-out facility.
"But we want a programme in which they don't feel threatened," said Davis.
He said the team, which has been charged with the responsibility to set up the facility has been working feverishly to have it up and running. A two-day retreat is to be held in February to finalise plans for the facility. petrina.francis@gleanerjm.com
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/glean...ead/lead6.html
Published: Monday | January 26, 2009
Petrina Francis, Staff Reporter
Holness
Students
with behavioural problems will not be allowed in the normal classroom setting come September, as the Ministry of Education finalises plans to place them in time-out facilities.
The Alternate Student Intervention Programme (ASIP), also called the time-out facility, will seek to improve students' attitude, through a behaviour-modification programme, while they continue their education.
Alphansus Davis, senior adviser to Minister of Education Andrew Holness, told The Gleaner that the plan is to have a least one facility ready by September. He said the ministry has conducted four site visits - two in Westmoreland and two in St Elizabeth. A site will also be visited in St Ann this week.
Davis said students with behavioural problems could reside at the site for up to one year.
Partial pull-out
He said those with mild conduct problems would require a "partial pull-out", noting that they would attend the facility each day, then return home in the evenings.
Davis told The Gleaner that the education ministry was looking to use church halls and community centres for the partial pull-outs.
Students who have been expelled might have to be accommodated in the time-out facility because the Government did not want under-18 (year-old) students "walking the streets".
Davis said the Programme for Alternative Student Support (PASS) would be the precursor to ASIP. This is a responsive programme designed to address the needs of secondary-level students with chronic maladaptive behaviours that often lead to interruption of their secondary education.
The programme provides an alternative to suspensions or expulsions and provides opportunities for students in psycholo-gical assessment and/or therapy and ensures that minimal disruptions occur from these behaviours.
Students, he said, would be assessed under PASS. If it is found that they should be removed from the school system, PASS would make the recommendation.
Davis said parents would be integral in this process and would have to agree for their children to be placed on the ASIP.
However, he noted that the Ministry of Education's policy states that children aged three to 18 are to be attached to an institution. To this end, Davis said the education ministry would use the power of transfer to ensure that they participate in the programme.
Integrated back
Meanwhile, Davis said when students are rehabilitated, they would be reintegrated in the normal classroom setting. He explained that they would not necessarily return to the same school.
"But if they are happy with going back to the same school, we will have no problem," he told The Gleaner.
He said trained teachers, social workers, psychologists and guidance counsellors would deliver the programme.
Members of the security forces would be on hand to prevent truancy and provide security for the students at the time-out facility.
"But we want a programme in which they don't feel threatened," said Davis.
He said the team, which has been charged with the responsibility to set up the facility has been working feverishly to have it up and running. A two-day retreat is to be held in February to finalise plans for the facility. petrina.francis@gleanerjm.com
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/glean...ead/lead6.html