I.            Introduction

The Millikan Site Council discussed and approved the use of the Alternative Classroom Environment (ACE) program. The ACE program is based on the premise that students have a basic right to a classroom environment which is conducive to learning and that no student should be permitted to behave in a manner which prevents other students from learning. It is believed that ACE is most effective when used as one component of an escalating hierarchy of school wide discipline. It is the goal of the school wide discipline plan to encourage students to develop greater self-discipline skills so that punitive measures will not be necessary.

II.         ACE Description

ACE is a supervised classroom where teachers can send students who have demonstrated an unwillingness to discontinue behavior which is disrupting the regular classroom learning environment. The emphasis of ACE is to provide a temporary alternative learning setting for disruptive students so that learning can continue in the regular classroom. It is important to note that ACE is not a punitive action. It should be viewed as an educational intervention designed to facilitate learning. Students who are sent to ACE for disruptive behavior will be required to work on class assignments. ACE will be supervised by a certificated teacher.

III.            General Guidelines

1.            ACE should not be a teacher’s preliminary action of intervention with a disruptive student. It is expected that every teacher implement a consistently administered discipline strategy (such as assertive discipline) which would be used before sending a student to ACE.

2.            Students are to be sent to ACE with a referral. They will be given six minutes to arrive at ACE.

3.            Students are not to be sent to ACE for serious disciplinary incidents such as fighting, weapon possession, theft, defiance, etc. These students are to be sent directly to an administrator.

4.            Students are not to be sent to ACE for non-disruptive infractions such as failure to bring materials to class, chewing gum, not working, etc.

5.            Since students who are sent to ACE will be required to work on assignments, teachers will be expected to send work with the students they send to ACE.

6.            Teachers are required to make a parent contact the first and second time they send a student to ACE.

7.            A student sent to ACE the third time in one semester, per teacher, will then be sent to his/her administrator for intervention.

8.            The ACE supervisor will be keeping written records of each student who is sent to ACE. This will enable us to better monitor behavior patterns of particular students so that other intervention strategies can be implemented when needed.