The Kingsville Independent School District’s decision to move students from LASER School to their home campuses in 2010 is an effort to better support students’ academic needs and to keep them in school, according to school officials.

Students at LASER, a Discipline Alternative Education Program, will transition back to their campuses beginning Jan. 4, 2010.

By relocating the DAEP to the campuses of J.S. Gillett Intermediate School, Memorial Middle School, and H.M. King High School, students will be less likely to drop out of school as they transition in and out of DAEP, according to Jennifer Kent, KISD Chief Academic officer.

“Relocating DAEP students to a special setting on their own campus will help them maintain their sense of belonging, which is vital to success,” she said.

“At the end of the day, we are still responsible for ensuring all students graduate college and career ready,” stated KISD Superintendent Emilio Castro. “Even students who have made a mistake are worthy of top notch education.”

Students will be in a separate location from the main school activities. Students will have access to teachers who provide tutoring. Students who have special needs will have access to campus-based personnel who already know the individual needs of the student, Kent stated in a press release. Students will continue to wear uniforms and the start and end of the school day will run 30 minutes later than the regular campus schedule in order to maintain the separate learning.

“We are very excited about this move,” Kent said Thursday. “The reason for this restructuring was to meet students academic needs.”

“We are also planning to implement in the near future, a system that allows DAEP students to view a live streaming internet feed of their core teacher delivering instruction. DAEP teachers will also be provided the opportunity to collaborate with core teachers to ensure students keep up with the curriculum and related activities,” Kent stated.

Leslie Smith, Texas Education Agency Program Specialist working with TEC Chapter Discipline and Order said many school districts have DAEP on their campuses. Texas school districts have many options concerning alternative education. Smith, who has worked with TEA for eight years in this area shared information on DAEP guidelines with KISD officials. Smith has been an educator for 20 years. Smith said this move will provide academic services for the Kingsville DAEP students that was needed.

“It is a positive thing for KISD because all children want to learn successfully,” he said.

He added this was a common procedure what the KISD people did in moving the DAEP students to their home campuses and the change they are making is not unusual.

“The campus principal owns the student and they are the ones held accountable, ” Smith said.

Many people have a misunderstanding of what DAEP encompasses. He explained that the Discipline Alternative Education Program main criteria is “separate instruction.”

KISD sent letters to parents and guardians of DAEP students on Tuesday informing them of the restructuring of LASER. The letter included a list of the academic benefits for the students. One of the benefits will be the fact that students in need of counseling will have access to their counselor. Another of the academic benefits stated students’ attendance will increase because they would not transition to a different campus.

“By remaining at their home campus, students will maintain their sense of belonging, which is shown by research to lower the affective filter, thus making learning easier and fewer students will drop out as they transition between the withdrawal of their home campus and the enrollment of Laser,” was also stated in the letter.

The transition back to the campuses impacts about 30 students and many of them are completing their time at DAEP, according to school officials.