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 The Passages Program is a short-term transitional program which provides academic and behavioral support to students returning to the Howard County Public School System from other placements. The program is part of a continuum of treatments and
interventions available to middle and high school students who have been or currently are a part of the juvenile justice system. The students in this program often have a history of academic difficulties and have been unsuccessful in other alternative programs offered by the school system. Behaviorally, they may be oppositional, display poor social skills, have difficulty managing anger, and appear disinterested in school. The program will accommodate a maximum of 20 students.
Entrance and Exit Process
The Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) notifies school system personnel when a student is returning to the HCPSS from juvenile facilities. A Central Admissions Committee (CAC) review meeting is then scheduled to gather information describing the student's needs, discuss this information, and its implications for academic and behavioral programming. The CAC may then assign the student to Passages or, in some cases, may elect to immediately return the student to the home school. While every effort is made to have the CAC review the student's needs prior to placement, there may be some cases when an immediate placement decision must be made (e.g., students with disabilities or 504 plans). In these instances, students will be administratively placed in the Passages Program. A CAC review meeting will then be scheduled as quickly as possible.
Once the Homewood staff has determined that the student is ready to move to a less restrictive setting, the student is referred back to CAC for a placement decision. Students are considered ready to move to less restrictive settings when staff has assessed their academic and behavioral needs, developed an individual support plan, and when the students' academic and social behavior indicates readiness to function more independently.
Staff
- Ken Katzen, PBIS Coach, Teacher
- Jean Brolund, Teacher
- Wendy Pitts, School Mental Health Therapist
- Mario Schowers, Paraeducator
- Gregory Willis, Teacher | |
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