Recent changes in how at-risk juveniles are being educated at six local detention facilities violate state law, according to a new report by the San Diego County grand jury.
Instead of the seamless year-round schooling required by law, the school year is now broken into a regular session, and several “intersessions” during the summer and other vacation periods. In most cases, the intersessions are taught by substitute teachers who often lack training and experience in teaching in the juvenile justice system, according to the report.
Intersessions also disrupt the continuity of instruction established during the regular session and can lead to disciplinary problems, according to the grand jury.
The grand jury recommends that intersessions be abandoned, and regular teachers be used year-round.
The grand jury also looked at the programs at San Pasqual Academy, Monarch School, Phoenix House Academy and Second Chance Facility in an effort to determine whether specialized community schools utilize educational models that might be appropriate for the detention facility schools.
San Pasqual Academy, a residential school for foster children with a strong record of academic success, currently has space available for approximately 70 additional students at no significant increase in costs for the county.
Putting students at San Pasqual Academy could be an opportunity to place at-risk minors coming out of the juvenile justice system in a stable and supportive environment, the report stated.
– City News Service
