Schools initiate behavioral program

COEUR d'ALENE - Youngsters with serious behavior problems will have a new place to learn in the Coeur d'Alene School District this fall.

The district is initiating a behavioral intervention day program in the old Bridge Academy building, said Superintendent Hazel Bauman.

"These are situations in which the education environment is really being disrupted, but it is also disruptive for these students," Bauman said. "They need a more intensively controlled environment."

The students that will be attending the program in the small building on Best Avenue have exhibited troublesome behaviors that go far beyond speaking out of turn or failing to follow a teacher's instructions.

Bauman said these are children with behavior that is out of control a high percentage of the time they are at school.

Many have psychological diagnoses or emotional stresses that affect their ability to hold it together throughout the school day. Some have suffered traumatic brain injuries.

They often experience "melt-downs," use inappropriate language and act out in other ways, like throwing chairs or banging their heads against things. Most are eligible for special education accommodations, but not all.

"Some people say, 'Why don't you just expel them?'" Bauman said.

In many cases, they could, she said, but the school district would still be legally required to educate those students asked to leave school. Public school districts are responsible for the education of all students until they reach age 21.

A team of two special education teachers and two aides will be responsible for 17 students Bauman said they already know require this type of intervention. There are roughly 35 more students with behavior issues that are near the level where intervention is required.

"While it will cost more, it's very important," Bauman said.

Up to 24 students could be assigned to one teacher.

After three serious student behavior cases "came to a head" during the last school year, Bauman said the district contracted with Children's Village to provide intervention day services. The Children's Village contract was discontinued because the number of Coeur d'Alene students requiring this type of service swelled to a dozen, beyond the capacity of the nonprofit special education service provider.

Bauman said the district expected some push-back from parents whose children were sent to Children's Village last year, but there was none.

"Frankly, the families are usually at their wit's end," she said.

Dealing with serious student behavior problems is not new to educators.

Teachers and principals used to see issues emerge mainly among middle and high school students, Bauman said.

"We're finding more and more in all grades, even in our primary grades," she said.

Teachers and school officials have a set course of action they follow with students when behavior problems arise, Bauman said. That includes meetings with parents, bringing aides into the classroom, and the use of "time-out rooms" to temporarily remove students from the central learning environment.

"That's still disruptive," Bauman said. "Learning becomes a secondary issue."

Teachers and administrators are always hopeful they will be able to get a child's behavior under control, she said, but they can't afford to wait too long. Early intervention can help a child learn coping skills or may lead to treatment that may help break the cycle of self-destructive, disruptive behavior.