Two Medford schools on state's safety watch list

Text Size: A | A | A

Print this Article Email this Article

October 28, 2009

By Paris Achen

Mail Tribune

Medford's Hedrick and McLoughlin middle schools are two of five schools in the state placed on a federal No Child Left Behind safety watch list.

The schools made the list based on their number of expulsions last school year for offenses such as possession of weapons or controlled substances and assaults, according to a report released Tuesday by the Oregon Department of Education. Schools meeting Oregon's definition of an unsafe school are placed on a watch list and must develop a corrective action plan that is filed with the state under the No Child Left Behind Act.

"I am disappointed that we had that many expulsions," said Hedrick Principal Paul Cataldo. "At the same time, we have to be consistent when we tell students they will be expelled for carrying a weapon by following up and expelling every student that does."

Other schools that are new to the watch list are Ponderosa Junior High School in the Klamath Falls City School District and Reynolds Learning Academy in the Reynolds School District.

Reynolds Middle School is on the list for the second consecutive year.

Meanwhile, staff members at Eagle Point High School and Eagle Point Middle School celebrated that those campuses were removed from the list this year.

Allen Barber, Eagle Point High School principal, was not available to comment Tuesday, but he wrote in a recent letter to parents that the high school has increased supervision in the hallways, and the number of discipline referrals for fighting, drugs and alcohol has decreased, though no figures were immediately available.

"We have felt a positive change in student behavior, and the data certainly supports what we have seen," Barber wrote.

Schools can be put on the safety watch list if they have more than one student per 100 expelled. Next year, the threshold for joining the list will be raised to three expulsions per 100 students. While the watch list for unsafe schools is required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act, states set their own standards for what is considered unsafe.

"Obviously the state has seen the wisdom to this (1 expulsion per 100 students) not being a good definition of an unsafe school," said McLoughlin Principal Amy Tiger.

A school is labeled as "persistently dangerous" once it's been on the list for three consecutive years. That label entitles students to transfer to another school and requires the school district to pay for the student's transportation to the chosen campus.

Cataldo said Hedrick had 14 expulsions last year among a student body of about 900 students, mostly for carrying knives.

He said he plans on asking the campus resource officer to speak at advisory or health classes to remind students about the school's policy of expelling students for a full calendar year for carrying any kind of weapon, even something as small as a pocketknife.

"The idea is we should do enough education with our students and reteach enough about guidelines to deter students from bringing weapons," Cataldo said. "We need to make sure we provide a safe learning environment for kids."

Tiger said McLoughlin had 17 expulsions among its 917 students last year but didn't know what each one was for. The education department also couldn't immediately provide the number and kinds of offenses that prompted expulsions at both campuses because two analysts responsible for that information were out of the office, said Jake Weigler, a spokesman.

McLoughlin and Hedrick share a school resource officer from the Medford Police Department to help provide security on the campuses. McLoughlin also has video cameras installed on the grounds.

Both of the schools use a 24-day behavioral program called Opportunity Classroom for students who are misbehaving. After completing the program, students are allowed to return to regular classrooms, Tiger said.

McLoughlin has tried to increase the adult contact with at-risk students, assigning staff to go and check on them on a regular basis, Tiger said.

Schools are required to report safety-related expulsions under the provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act.

Reach Paris Achen at 776-4459 or e-mail pachen@mailtribune.com.

Reader Reaction We welcome your feedback on this story, or any follow-up story ideas you might have. Please send a letter to the editor to letters@mailtribune.com, or submit story ideas online here. When submitting a letter to the editor, please review our submissions policy.

Print this Article Email this Article