Students deserve equal access to electives and career pathways.
LPOHS students will have opportunities to participate in Career Technical Education (CTEC) programs such as welding, carpentry, and nursing, as well as electives like art, drama, and music offered through Sandpoint High School.
LPOHS Students have always had the opportunity to take these CTEC courses. In fact, LPOHS even housed some CTEC courses on its own campus for its students. This allowed LPOHS students the opportunity to not have to re-integrate back into an SHS classroom. For many of our students, they need a smaller classroom setting that better addresses their individual needs and acknowledges those issues without prejudice.
We have been concerned that LPOHS students will struggle returning to a school they associate with trauma and failure. We feel we are seeing the beginning of these ramifications with the fact that this last quarter, two LPOHS students were told that they will not be welcomed back into certain CTEC/elective classrooms. What happens when their needs cannot be met and more SHS teachers ask that these alternative students be barred from their classrooms? When that happens, LPOHS students will only be able to complete an elective online. Such a format greatly reduces a child’s opportunity to relearn foundational skills, such as safe interpersonal skills and classroom etiquette.
LPOHS high risk students do not necessarily need access to taking American Sign Language but instead benefit from a less niche elective, like Art, where they can instead rebuild or repair more remedial life skills that SHS students have been lucky enough to already succeed at.
LPOHS students will have opportunities to participate in Career Technical Education (CTEC) programs such as welding, carpentry, and nursing, as well as electives like art, drama, and music offered through Sandpoint High School.
LPOHS Students have always had the opportunity to take these CTEC courses. In fact, LPOHS even housed some CTEC courses on its own campus for its students. This allowed LPOHS students the opportunity to not have to re-integrate back into an SHS classroom. For many of our students, they need a smaller classroom setting that better addresses their individual needs and acknowledges those issues without prejudice.
We have been concerned that LPOHS students will struggle returning to a school they associate with trauma and failure. We feel we are seeing the beginning of these ramifications with the fact that this last quarter, two LPOHS students were told that they will not be welcomed back into certain CTEC/elective classrooms. What happens when their needs cannot be met and more SHS teachers ask that these alternative students be barred from their classrooms? When that happens, LPOHS students will only be able to complete an elective online. Such a format greatly reduces a child’s opportunity to relearn foundational skills, such as safe interpersonal skills and classroom etiquette.
LPOHS high risk students do not necessarily need access to taking American Sign Language but instead benefit from a less niche elective, like Art, where they can instead rebuild or repair more remedial life skills that SHS students have been lucky enough to already succeed at.