The Allen Parish School Board is relocating and expanding its alternative school program to address behavioral issues in students, including elementary grades.

The school board was able to buy land and a building across the street from the current school board office on La. 26 to relocate the school.

“We had the opportunity to expand our alternative school because we had no room for growth at our old location at the old school board office,”  Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance, Transportation and Special Services Kenney Courville said.

Renovations of the 2,4000-square-foot facility are underway and will include separate areas for high school and elementary students, with a capacity to hold about 35 students.

When it opens its doors at the new location later this year, it will be known as the New Pathways center.

“We want our students to find a new pathway and to know that we all make mistakes, but our mistakes do not have to define us and that we all learn from our mistakes,” Courville said. “The goal is to get students back into the classroom as quickly as possible with a focus on making sure every student in a classroom has the opportunity to learn.”

Plans for the new center are driven by a need to adapt to changing societal and educational challenges, including increased behavioral problems, according to Courville.

“This will not only make it a more hospitable place for our kids who are assigned to alternative education, but also we have seen a huge uptick in elementary behavior, which is a statewide problem,” Courville said. “This will give us an opportunity to expand and address those issues.”

The facility will focus on intervention rather than punishment with a high concentration on behavior modification, he said.

The facility will double its current capacity from15 to nearly 35 students, with a specific area focusing on younger students.

Staff, who are trained to work with children, will work with elementary students who are behaviorally challenged using different strategies to help alleviate some of the disruptions that are occurring in the classroom, Courville said.

“The model that we’re looking to follow is that as these teachers work through these strategies at New Pathway, is that when it is time for the student to return to school, they are able to follow the new pathway,” he said.

Elementary students are expected to be at the center for about two to three weeks before transitioning back to their home schools. An adult will transition with the students to work with the student and teachers to implement strategies to improve classroom learning.

“If an older student is up for expulsion, this will allow them to be referred to the alternative school,” Courville said. “This could be up to 45 days, but each case is different depending on the severity of the infraction. Some students could be here for a shorter period of time.”

Superintendent Brad Soileau said the main goal is to work with students, especially the younger students, who haven’t been reached before.

“It’s hard to deal with situations like these, especially with young kids,” Solieau said. “We don’t always have the options, but now we will have more options to offer them.

“Moving here will give us the opportunity to add on, grow and evolve,” he continued. “I think that’s the key to education in general, you always have to be able to change, evolve and adapt.”

Soileau said the school board plans to also use the facility during the summer for Jump Start and vocational programs, as well as professional development for staff. Future plans are to purchase additional land to park and store school buses.