| When it comes to providing alternative education for students removed from class for discipline problems, WV school administrators have different opinions.
Frank Andrews oversees alternative education at the WV Department of Education.
He says the more students are segregated in an alternative education program, the more difficult it is to get them back into the school environment.
One-point-three percent of public school students in the nation were enrolled in alternative programs in 2000, the most recent figure available.
In West Virginia, there were 6,018 students in alternative programs during the 2003-04.
Peter Leone is director of the National Center on Education, Disability and Juvenile Justice. He says a problem with alternative education is that it's typically a reactive response to some problem a student has in school.
He says some alternative-ed programs can be terrific, while others are just dumping grounds.
West Virginia has a mix of programs to deal with students with problems.
Here is the regional county-by-county information on alternative education programs offered during the 2003-2004 school year:
Braxton: Served 133 students in after school/night detention programs for five hours a week in addition to the normal school day and 22 students through full-day "school within a school" programs. Of those 155 students, 25 were special education, about 16 percent.
Calhoun: Served 16 children in an after school/night program and 24 children in other programs. Of the 40 children served, 16 were special education, about 40 percent. The after school/night program provided 12 hours per week of instruction.
Clay: Served 176 students through in-school suspension programs, 12 at an alternative school and two in homebound programs. Of the 190 students, 42 were special education, about 22 percent. All except homebound received the equivalent of a full instructional program and day.
Gilmer: Served 16 students through an after school/night program and 24 through other programs. Of those 37 students, nine were special education, about 24 percent. The after school/night program was for 12 hours per week.
Ritchie: Served 61 students in in-school suspension programs, 11 in an after school/night program providing four hours per week of instruction and four in homebound programs providing four hours per week of instruction. Of the 76 students served, 25 were special education, about 33 percent.
Roane: Served 38 students in a "school within a school" providing seven hours per week of instruction. Of the 38 children, 14 were special education, about 37 percent.
Wirt: Served 12 students in after school/night programs that provided 20 hours per week of instruction. Two were special education , about 17 percent.
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