Jackson Free Press

Donte Thompson says he hardly learned anything in alternative school. Forbidden to talk from the moment he stepped on the school bus, Donte did what little work he received using water-damaged, outdated textbooks. When it was time to use the bathroom, a teacher would stand watch with the door open.

His friend Jonathan Archie, now enrolled in a Job Corps program in Kentucky, remembers hearing younger students cry when they were paddled in the principal's office. Jonathan grew much angrier at the alternative school, according to his mother, Freida Benfield. One afternoon, he told her he wanted to burn the school down. She became afraid that he would "go off, like a volcano," she said.

"He was turning into a monster," she added. "He'd never shown me any of that until he got in that atmosphere."

Thompson and Archie were part of a group of seven students, all African American, sent to the Madison County Alternative School in April 2006 for drinking from a soda bottle spiked with alcohol while on the school bus. Two months earlier, in the same district, seven white students had also been caught drinking from an alcohol-laced soda bottle. In that incident, however, only two students received referrals to alternative school, and for a shorter period. Claims by some of the white students that they did not know the bottle contained alcohol were enough to justify the district's decision.

The inadequate conditions and racial disparities in Donte and Jonathan's experience are prevalent in Mississippi's alternative schools, according to a recent report by the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Mississippi. The report declares that alternative schools, which typically serve students who have been referred for misconduct, overemphasize their punitive role at the cost of their academic side. Too often, students receive meaningless work and endure regular, invasive searches, according to Jamie Dycus, principal author of the report.

"These are the ways that you signal to a child that you don't value that child, and that you don't believe that that child can succeed," Dycus said. "Kids live up to our expectations."

More and more students are entering alternative schools. Statewide, alternative school referrals increased 23 percent over the past four years, from 4,333 referrals in the 2004-2005 school year, to 5,348 in 2007-2008. Over the past decade, the percentage of the total student population enrolled in alternative schools has quadrupled.

"We view this as part of a nationwide trend toward criminalizing more kids, toward responding to misbehavior at school with more and more severe punishment," Dycus said.

African Americans make up a disproportionately large part of the alternative education population, with a referral rate twice that of white students. From 2004 to 2007 in Madison County, African American students received referrals to alternative school at a rate seven times that of white students.

Racial disparities extend to the reasons for alternative school referrals. During the 2005-2006 school year in Madison County, roughly 80 percent of the African American students sent to alternative school were sent for "multiple referrals," but that reason accounted for less than 50 percent of white students in alternative school. "Multiple referrals" could encompass repeated misbehavior of any kind, Dycus said.

"There's a subjective element every time that happens," Dycus said. "There's an element of discretion on the part of the teacher or the principal."

By contrast, white students were far more likely than their African American peers to be referred for more objectively-defined alcohol or drug offenses.

To address these shortcomings, the report recommends that MDE release annual data on alternative schools online. It also calls for alternative schools to focus on preparing students for return to mainstream schools, by providing a challenging curriculum and offering support services like mental health counseling. Dycus emphasized, though, that the report was not intended as an indictment of the alternative school system.

"We want to foster an open and more informed dialogue," Dycus said.

That dialogue began last week as representatives from the ACLU met with MDE officials to discuss the report. Mississippi ACLU President Nsombi Lambright said that MDE was already planning a survey of the state's alternative schools and a series of site visits for underperforming districts, which made her "optimistic," she said.

"We're still a little concerned that every school district that has an alternative school receives that kind of monitoring and oversight," Lambright cautioned.

A bill up for consideration in the Mississippi House, Senate Bill 2575, would assist MDE's oversight by requiring annual reports from every alternative school in the state.

The ACLU report's recommendations might have helped Donte Thompson when he entered Madison Central High School the next year. With inadequate remediation, Donte found himself unprepared for ninth grade.

"He had to struggle to catch up," Donte's father Adam Thompson said. "He was behind."

Previous Comments

ID

144359

Comment

Madison's Alternative School sounds like its just one step away from the county penal farm..... and as usual it's "JUST US" & no justice. I would encourage those African-American parents who live in Madison County to become more involved with the school system. Your child may be doing fine, but I would challenge them to become an advocate for those students who have no one to speak up for them and they are being herded through this and other abusive or discriminatory hidden agendas in Madison schools. It could be your child next.

Author

lanier77

Date

2009-03-05T10:40:33-06:00

ID

144370

Comment

There is also a lot of racism in the elementary public school system in Madison. It is plain and simple: A lot of people have moved out of these areas here in Jackson to get away from Black folks. When your kids show up at "their" schools, it's a slap in the face. We had a situation with my 8 year old grandson whom they tried to put back to 2nd grade because he is "irresponsible." This determination was made on the second day of this school when he forgot to bring his English book back to class. My son and his wife took the child out because he was too young to understand the situation and too young to fight for his rights. He was the only Black kid in his class. Many young Black kids get messed up in systems where-in they are products of being the only one or among the few in certain environments. Why would I expect a person who doesn't want to live next to me, to be fair to my grandson?

Author

justjess

Date

2009-03-05T12:17:20-06:00

ID

144371

Comment

One problem is Alternative schools are treated by School districts as "Penal Farms", like has been pointed out. They really should implement some serious educational focus in those schools. Which means kids will either learn or learn they can't avoid schoolwork. ...and I hate that once again, Madison is used as the example. Surely there are more places that have Alternative schools than the JFP's favorite whipping ground? Jackson has an alternative school.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2009-03-05T12:22:19-06:00

ID

144373

Comment

Immigration, a branch of Homeland Security, is now reportedly experimenting with a new kind of prison: One that incarcerates entire families from infants on up. Privately owned of course. T. Don Hutto, America's family prison: http://tdonhutto.blogspot.com/ A new take on [It takes a village]? [to fill a prison]

Author

FreeClif

Date

2009-03-05T12:35:08-06:00

ID

144374

Comment

family prison = concentration camp

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2009-03-05T12:45:22-06:00

ID

144378

Comment

Pardon, but what the hell does a "Family Prison" have to do with alternative schools?

Author

Ironghost

Date

2009-03-05T13:20:44-06:00

ID

144382

Comment

"Pardon, but what the hell does a "Family Prison" have to do with alternative schools?" The miseducation and under-education (through alternative schools) of a population is just a pipeline to prison. Prisons look at who can and can not read in the 3rd grade to determine how many prison beds they need in the future. The family prison would just bypass a whole lot of the pretenses and train the child early. With all of the foreclosures taking place, this might not be all that bad an idea. A guaranteed three hots and a cot is a whole lot more than the government (especially) local is ofering families now.

Author

dd39203

Date

2009-03-05T14:05:30-06:00

ID

144384

Comment

O.K. Ironghost, I didn't write the article. The author chose to use Madison as a point of reference. The full report is online at the ACLU's website. http://www.aclu.org/crimjustice/juv/38800pub20090224.html

Author

lanier77

Date

2009-03-05T14:18:05-06:00

ID

144385

Comment

I meant to post this by Ladd's [cradle to prison pipeline] article, but it fits here to :-).

Author

FreeClif

Date

2009-03-05T14:33:29-06:00

ID

144386

Comment

If parents taught their kids how to act then there would be no need for alternative schools.

Author

BubbaT

Date

2009-03-05T15:58:02-06:00

ID

144388

Comment

In many cases, BubbaT, the question becomes, "What parents." You can not assume that all children wake up in the am with breakfast served on the table and mom and dad kissing good by as he leaves the home for a day in the office. This is the real world. Your comment lack sensitivity to the issues that we face, in my opinion

Author

justjess

Date

2009-03-05T16:16:55-06:00

ID

144389

Comment

Sometimes people misunderstand things because of a lack of knowledge. Sometimes when we have experienced Head Start children with extreme behavior it is due to undiagnosed mental health problems. It is not always a parents fault. Probably 50% of mental health problems are not due to things easily changed in the environment. If you have a child who has ADHD, autism, bipolar disorder sometimes you see parents trying to whip them to make them behave, but it just does not help --- sometimes they get worse. Often, people do not want to admit that there is something wrong with their child that disciplinary actions cannot cure. As justjess points out, the real world is messy. If this country did a better job of screening for and treating mental health problems in k-12, we could probably greatly decrease the prison population.

Author

FreeClif

Date

2009-03-05T16:23:24-06:00

ID

144391

Comment

dd39203: The family prison link is a proposal for illegal immigrant families. I just thought it odd. Lanier: Thanks for the ACLU report, I'll browse later.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2009-03-05T16:59:48-06:00

ID

144393

Comment

My take is that we should be concerned when they are locking up Hispanic families because we might be next :-).

Author

FreeClif

Date

2009-03-05T17:07:32-06:00

ID

144394

Comment

I went to public school. The kids who went to alternative school are mostly in jail now. I don't think it was the alternative school that set them on the wrong path; most of them were on that path from Day 1.

Author

QB

Date

2009-03-05T17:44:16-06:00

ID

144395

Comment

Fat Harry: The alternative school didn't take them off that path either.

Author

dd39203

Date

2009-03-05T17:56:59-06:00

ID

144397

Comment

No it obviously did not. But when you go home to abusive or absentee parents, start drinking and smoking etc. at age 12, and are constantly surrounded by unemployment and despair, the cards are stacked against you. Big time. Work at Mickey D's and work your way up or sell drugs and get rich - these are often the only options the kids see. MS schools need to emphasize vocational programs in high school. College is not for everyone.

Author

QB

Date

2009-03-05T18:20:44-06:00

ID

144399

Comment

Fat Harry, the point is that alternative "schools" are failing at being "schools" at all. According to the ACLU report they "overemphasize their punitive role at the cost of their academic side." Sure, there are kids who are on the wrong path before they get there, but there are also plenty of kids sent there for relatively minor infractions (mostly African Americans, says the report). Those are the kids that end up really losing out. They're "branded" as being bad kids, and don't get the basic education they need to return to mainstream schools. They end up dropping out. Talk to teachers and they'll tell you high school is far too late to make a positive impact on many kids. You're right that college isn't for everyone, but we have a drop-out rate close to 40 percentin this state. Educators will tell you that we need to focus on pre-K first, not more high school programs. As for the alternative schools, the ACLU is advocating accountability and transparency. Sounds like a good idea to me.

Author

Ronni_Mott

Date

2009-03-05T19:25:29-06:00

ID

144404

Comment

If parents taught their kids how to act then there would be no need for alternative schools. I gotta agree with you that would be nice but I also got to agree that it just ain't always possible. If the "parents", and I am using the term loosely, are basically children themselves who is supposed to be the responsible one? We are all aware of the teen pregnancy rate in Mississippi and our legislature refuses to acknowledge that anything other than prayer and telling kids to just say no to sex is needed.

Author

WMartin

Date

2009-03-06T07:55:35-06:00

ID

144408

Comment

My take is that we should be concerned when they are locking up Hispanic families because we might be next :-). I have no problems with detaining people that would probably otherwise disappear before their hearing. If those people have kids it creates a sticky situation but that leaves us with little alternative on what to do. It's unconscionable the way some immigrants put their entire family especially their children at risk to pull off their illegal schemes. What kind of men are these that would put their families in that situation? family prison = concentration camp They are awaiting hearings not ovens.

Author

WMartin

Date

2009-03-06T09:38:25-06:00

ID

144409

Comment

You are right WM, but there have been some instances of U.S. citizens who are Hispanic who were deported mistakenly. It is the haste, emotional furvor and seeming willingness to sweep up whole families that disturbs some of us. I put it in the same category as when the Israeli's bulldoze a family's house because one of their children did a suicide mission. Is it right to punish the whole family for what one member does? These folk are desperate to survive. That's why they come here. Plus, who will pick our beans at a reasonable price? I like cheap beans. Oops, I forgot there are thousands of Americans who may now be desperate enough to go into the bean fields.

Author

FreeClif

Date

2009-03-06T09:49:01-06:00

ID

144410

Comment

They are awaiting hearings not ovens. An oven is not mandatory at a concentration camp. There were no ovens when Japanese Americans were rounded up like cattle in WWII.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2009-03-06T09:59:21-06:00

ID

144412

Comment

We are right to be worried because typically, in hard times, minorities are made the scapegoats as Robert Reich points out in on Salon.com: [Angry right-wing populism lurks just below the surface of the terrible American economy, ready to be launched not only at Obama but also at liberals, intellectuals, gays, blacks, Jews, the mainstream media, coastal elites, crypto socialists, and any other potential target of paranoid opportunity.] I'll add [welfare parents and their no good kids].

Author

FreeClif

Date

2009-03-06T10:44:43-06:00

ID

144417

Comment

I think my most recent blog entry sort of ties into the discussion. Check it out: The Arkansas Secret Holocaust

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2009-03-06T11:02:51-06:00

ID

144422

Comment

Oh yeah, a left-winger like Reich there really can read the mind of any conservative. I love that "Terrible American economy" as well, like despite the fact it's provided him a wonderful life, he hates it like all good liberals are supposed to. Self-Loathing. There are really two problems here. 1. Kids don't behave. 2. Madison is alleged to have applied Justice unfairly. We can read in any and all the politics we like. The fact is that even in my experience, Alternative schools are used to warehouse kids who won't behave regardless. It's not right, but it's the way the school system treats an alternative school.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2009-03-06T11:51:19-06:00

ID

144424

Comment

I see Reich hit close to home.

Author

FreeClif

Date

2009-03-06T12:23:14-06:00

ID

144429

Comment

I love that "Terrible American economy" as well, like despite the fact it's provided him a wonderful life, he hates it like all good liberals are supposed to. Self-Loathing. Who said liberals hate the American economy? When it's bad, we do, but we love it when it's good.

Author

golden eagle

Date

2009-03-06T13:16:21-06:00

ID

144430

Comment

I often wonder why some angry right-wing populists hate our economy so much that they want our President's attempts to save the economy to fail. I guess they only love America when a right-winger is in office. Ah, Lady Liberty, a woman so often scorned...

Author

FreeClif

Date

2009-03-06T13:58:52-06:00

ID

144431

Comment

Alternative schools are used to warehouse kids who won't behave regardless. It's not right, but it's the way the school system treats an alternative school. You're right, Ghost, but that doesn't mean it has to stay that way. As to your two summation points, they are: 1. overly simplistic; 2. innaccurate. Yes, kids misbehave. So do most of the adults I know from time to time. If you never do, I expect you're probably not having a lot of fun. Either that or you're a saint. And it's not just alternative schools in Madison that have a problem. Madison is presented in the story as an example of a state-wide problem. As for liberals "hating" the economy, that's just silly. Both conservatives and liberals (and independents, for that matter) have issues with the economy, as they should. It's currently a mess. If you don't think so, you haven't been paying attention.

Author

Ronni_Mott

Date

2009-03-06T14:01:02-06:00

ID

144433

Comment

So we should throw more money and resources (that we don't already have) at alternative schools, rather than making the current schools better? I don't think you are going to get many people on that bandwagon. This Obama economy has got everybody down!

Author

QB

Date

2009-03-06T15:07:32-06:00

ID

144434

Comment

I think we should supply the needed resources! Why make it mandatory for kids to attend school, then NOT teach them? Why pay for a teaching staff & not require that they teach? JPS has some serious issues & not all of their issues are because of disobedient kids.

Author

chscza

Date

2009-03-06T15:39:56-06:00

ID

144437

Comment

It is too bad that the right wingnuts left Obama with such a bad situation to work with. The largest banks were insolvent long before January 20, 2009. It takes years (8) to destroy such a strong economy with a large budget surplus that Clinton left behind. Back on topic...Real school reform would make it just as easy to terminate a teacher who endangers childrens' futures with poor teaching skills or lack of motivation as it is to exile children to alternative school.

Author

FreeClif

Date

2009-03-06T16:06:13-06:00

ID

144440

Comment

Fat Harry, it's not an either/or situtation. Alternative schools are supposed to be schools, too, not just warehouses for kids that teachers decide they don't want in regular classrooms. And good grief, Harry, the "Obama" economy? The man's been in office for less than two months. He surely didn't make it into what it is today. He's trying to fix it, remember?

Author

Ronni_Mott

Date

2009-03-06T17:46:17-06:00

ID

144447

Comment

Ronni: I got the point. Why is simplistic always an insult? Explain to me how this is a complex problem, because it looks easy from here.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2009-03-06T19:40:06-06:00

ID

144494

Comment

Ghost: Simplistic isn't "always" an insult. You over-simplified the problem with your points: "Kids don't behave," and "Madison is alleged to have applied Justice unfairly." It isn't that simple because it's also about teachers & administrators who apply the alternative school "solution" arbitrarily. It's also about so-called "schools" that are not giving kids basic educations and that don't seem to be accountable. And it's also not just about Madison: the problem is state-wide and Madison is used only as an example.

Author

Ronni_Mott

Date

2009-03-09T12:42:17-06:00

ID

144497

Comment

the "Obama" economy? That seems to be the new thing. I keep hearing how the market has gone down 2000 points since the election.

Author

WMartin

Date

2009-03-09T14:06:54-06:00

ID

144498

Comment

...and your point is, WMartin?

Author

justjess

Date

2009-03-09T14:20:41-06:00

ID

144499

Comment

Wmartin, I think you're smart enough to know that the stock market was going to fall no matter who came into office in January. The economy was in tatters, you know. There are no quick fixes, and the stock market is going to have to go through a huge makeover before anything gets better. But this sounds like a topic to discuss on one of several economic threads going now.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2009-03-09T14:25:33-06:00

ID

144500

Comment

Just that it seems to be a talking point that somehow Obama is to blame for the economy continuing to slip. I read some incredulousness into Ronni's post. But I keep hearing basically the same thing on the talking head shows and I read it in the WSJ also. Ladd, I do understand that. I don't think we can call this Obama's economy yet. Well, not to lay the blame at his feet anyway. I was merely remarking how some are already positioning themselves to do so though. If not doing it already with sound bite logic and counting on the American people's short attention span. What will we call it though? Obamanomics?

Author

WMartin

Date

2009-03-09T14:30:14-06:00

ID

144501

Comment

I assume you mean on the WSJ editorial page? No surprise there. (It does have WALL STREET in its name, you know.) As far as talking heads, who cares? All you have to do is use your common sense on this one. With all the bad news coming in in recent months about the economy, and the credit crunch, etc., the stock market is going to continue to fall for a while. Doing nothing is not going to change that, either. Any fool knew this would be the case regardless of the measures the government takes to try to reverse the disaster. Had McCain been here, Dems would have been blaming him for the same thing.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2009-03-09T14:39:56-06:00

ID

144504

Comment

Anyone who uses the term [Obamanomics] to describe the current economic situation as though it is a creation of Obama's policy's does not deserve serious consideration. All those who consider facts and reality when forming their opinion are aware that the recession officially began in January of 2008 and the stock market began trending down in the fall of 2007. That is a big part of why Obama won. It was the economy, stupid [as Clinton said]. The foolish financial decisions that precipitated all of this occurred several years ago. These are the consequences of Bushonomics.

Author

FreeClif

Date

2009-03-09T14:55:30-06:00

ID

144505

Comment

Right, "Obamanomics" is a really ignorant phrase at this stage of the game. (It might make sense when his policies actually start having an effect, one way or the other, but not now.) What we call the current situation is a *crisis*. As for the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, etc., where were their editorial writers back when this mess began? NPR had a good story on the business media this morning, and how they were licking the butts (my phrase) of the CEOs just a year ago.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2009-03-09T15:09:33-06:00

ID

144507

Comment

The kind of journalism from the WSJ and Fox fits right in with these clips from CNBC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXlFnYV0y4M

Author

FreeClif

Date

2009-03-09T15:28:27-06:00

ID

144508

Comment

I wasn't using that phrase to blame Obama. LOL. While I was composing my post I thought of the word and it had a a certain roll off the tongue I liked. I don't blame him. I agree any Dope would know that his policies haven't had time to be effective yet. I was just commenting on the new republican tactic.

Author

WMartin

Date

2009-03-09T15:36:46-06:00

ID

144509

Comment

OK, sorry if I misunderstood and jumped you, WMartin. I'm just sick of the fools trying to do that. Some people really do care more about partisan politics than they do the country and its citizens. You excluded. ;-)

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2009-03-09T15:45:51-06:00

ID

144510

Comment

That's why I brought it up, because the last thing we need right now is silly partisan stuff like that. Like wanting Obama to fail and the misery to continue so a certain political party can regain power without having to change it's ways. Probably my fault though, I'm going on about 8 hours sleep since Friday morning. :-P

Author

WMartin

Date

2009-03-09T15:54:55-06:00

ID

144511

Comment

[quote]It isn't that simple because it's also about teachers & administrators who apply the alternative school "solution" arbitrarily. It's also about so-called "schools" that are not giving kids basic educations and that don't seem to be accountable. And it's also not just about Madison: the problem is state-wide and Madison is used only as an example. [/quote] I do see it as a simple problem. An Alternative school isn't designed for corporal punishment. It is (or should be) designed to teach students who for some reason don't make it via normal methods. The problem is, at least in my experience at Bailey over a decade ago, is that in many pricipals were using Alternative schools as a dumping ground. The lady who ran JPS's Bailey Alternative then (and I can't recall her name to save my life!) was chatting with me about it. She'd sent a ton of students back to their original schools because she didn't want to see Bailey used as a dumping ground. Straightening out the problem may take a bit more legwork, but it isn't that complex. :)

Author

Ironghost

Date

2009-03-09T16:24:33-06:00

ID

144512

Comment

Then, we're in agreement, WMartin. ;-) As for alternative schools, it should be simple -- but it's not because of politics. If you think that certain politicians don't want public schools to operate at all, you should read them in the congressional record when it comes to the need to educate "bad" kids. They just don't want to do it. And I don't say this to be facetious. I did a fellowship on disparities in discipline, and the most horrifying thing I learned was the political side of things. So, yes, it *should* be simple. But certain politicians will not allow it to be.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2009-03-09T16:51:07-06:00

ID

144514

Comment

[quote]But certain politicians will not allow it to be.[/quote] We can always replace 'em. More work, but it can be done.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2009-03-09T17:49:51-06:00

ID

144566

Comment

Iron, if memory serves me correct, Bailey was never an alternative school, it's a magnet school.

Author

lanier77

Date

2009-03-11T09:13:26-06:00

ID

144572

Comment

Actually, lanier, Bailey's name used to be Bailey Alternative School, but it wasn't the kind of alternative school we're discussing here. It was like a magnet school then. I have a childhood friend who went there and was a well-behaved honors student. I got an offer in the mail to go there when I was about to leave elementary school, and the description of the curriculum was as if they were after gifted students.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2009-03-11T09:41:07-06:00

ID

144576

Comment

There we go! That fits well with that memory of the Principal I had.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2009-03-11T10:50:27-06:00