Students who loiter in the school after 2:35 p.m. will
now have to pay a fee before leaving the building.
The school’s new Teen Learning Center program rounds up students who are caught wandering the hallways after school and don’t belong to a supervised activity or program. The students are then escorted to the Teen Learning Center where they are kept under adult supervision.
Students can only leave the center accompanied by a parent and upon payment of $5 for each hour of supervision.The student will also be charged a late fee of $5 for every five minutes after the 5:35 p.m. closing time.
If students do not pay the fee, they face suspension until it is paid. “The main purpose of the center is for the safety of my staff and students and respect of the building,” said School Principal Dr. Clarence Stone, who implemented the program Feb. 2.
Approximately 20 students were placed in the center during the first week the program started.
Those who refuse to go to the Learning Center face a three-day suspension for insubordination.
Some students view the center as more like a jail than a safe place. “I don’t think that it is a Teen Learning Center , but latchkey. We are in high school, not elementary school. We don’t need babysitters,” said junior Ian Thomas.
Other students see merit in the program’s safety aspect. “I understand that the Teen Learning Center is for our safety, but we shouldn’t be made to pay or be given a time limit of 2:35 p.m., because that is ridiculous,” said senior Bierre Green.
So far, the Teen Learning Center has been successful, according to administrators.
“The number of students hanging around the school dropped drastically,”since the program started, said William Howard who is acting assistant principal.
“I’m very proud of the program,” said Stone.