When you hear alternative school

[Anonymous 1]

Do you only think of a school for "bad kids"? Because I admit, I did. However, my daughter recently decided to apply to an alternative school in our district and it really opened my eyes to all the different reasons why a student may be attending a school like this.

None of the students are there due to behavioral issues (the district has a different school for that). Almost all of them have experienced truancy and are trying to recover credits they have lost in order to graduate on time. There are students who are caretakers, students who have missed a lot of school due to illnesses, students who are seasonal migrants, and students who would otherwise need to drop out in order to work and support their families.

My daughter has always done well in school and she is on track to graduate with more credits than she actually needs. However, she experienced a lot of issues with bullying and, as a result, intense anxiety and panic attacks. She was begging me to drop out but then she found out about this school. All of her classes are online and if you are passing all of our classes, you are only required to be on campus for 4 hours a day. She's loving it so far and is probably going to graduate early. Yes, she will receive a regular high school diploma and she will be allowed to walk at graduation with her friends from the previous school if she wants to.

But in our district, her school is just known as an alternative campus and I have noticed people have a really strong reaction when I tell them the name of my daughter's school because they think it is a disciplinary school.

So, when you hear alternative school, what do you think of?

[Anonymous 2]

There is no one size fits all when it comes to education. I think the "GO TO COLLEGE" crowd got it wrong.

[Slimshandy]

I went to one…
To be honest, it was all kids who had either behavioral issues, including truancy, but not for any other reason than they refused to go…



Be careful with the friends she makes there, but if the other option is her getting bullied, she’s better off around the “bad kids”.

[Baconqueen13]

I think it tends to be a vocational or trade school. So they have classes specialized in areas such as cosmetology, automotive, carpentry, computers, home economics, etc.

[LiveWhatULove]

My mom was a teacher, I know many teachers & school nurses, & my children are quirky — so I know about all sorts of options for schooling. I say that, as I am probably not the majority.

When I hear the term, I simply think any school that is not like the typical school, so the attending child or adolescent needed a different environment for many possible reasons. But with that said, kids with behavioral disturbance often need alternative schools, KWIM?

[Anonymous 3]

The alternative school that was part of the district I went to was for truant, teen moms, etc but those who went there always said it was full of behavioral problems and there were always cops there.

[Heyteacher]

If you are talking tech school as alternative I don't think "bad kid". I think viable option for a kid to be working right out of high school.

Alternative, alternative in our district IS for the kiddos who wouldnt do well in traditional or tech school.

[Olioxenfree]

To me an alternative school is for any kid who could have a need for an alternative. I don’t make assumptions for why they might need an alternative. I don’t think poorly of them, including the “bad kids.” My husband was sent to one for a year because of behavioral problems, but those were being caused by a bad home life and trauma, but instead of helping him through any of that he was just sent from school to school. He did very well academically, the school wanted to move him ahead and his parents wouldn’t which was part of his issues at school. He didn’t have a great education at the alternative school, but that was also twenty years ago so things have changed. It was better than the military school that he was sent to next.

[LuckyEightWow]

Years ago I’d have said bad kids, too.
Now, after my own experience with my kid, I realize that education is not one size fits all.

[PoplarGrove]

Well, 2 of my 4 child have gone to or are going to an alternative school so I know what they are.

When I sent my oldest to our cities alternative school family and friends were shocked and didn't want me to send her there because it was for delinquents and she was a bullied child with mental health issues. The teachers were amazing, the other students were kind and caring (some may have been a little rough around the edges but they were protective of my daughter so they're fine by me) and my daughter was able to complete 16 credits in 2 semesters only attending 3 days a week (you complete 8 credits in 2 semesters in a main stream school here).

My son is attending one now because he has numerous health issues that make it impossible to attend a normal school. He only attends for 1.5 hours a day a few days a week because that's all he's physically capable of doing. He'll progress slower but he can't get behind and has the support he needs.

The alternative school also has a division for kids who have gotten themselves expelled everywhere else but they're kept in their own division. And having interacted with many of them when I've been there for meetings even those kids aren't necessarily "bad". They just needed love and a different educational experience.