By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
A grandmother spoke at the Hays USD 489 school board meeting on Oct. 13 and expressed concerns about integrating alternative school students into elementary schools.
In 2024, Westside had an enrollment of 24 students in grades K-12. Students were bused to their home schools, as the students were deemed able to participate in general education classes.
Students were moved to Hays High and Roosevelt Elementary two years ago to pilot the program. The rest of the elementary students and middle school students were moved this fall.
Kyle Carlin, director of the special education coop, said the move has been in the planning stages for three to four years, and teachers and staff underwent training this summer to prepare for the change.
Students with mental health or behavior issues have a dedicated classroom at each school, but are integrated into general classes as they are able. Teachers and staff have followed these students to the general education schools.
Hillary Logan, who has a granddaughter in a Hays USD 489 elementary school, expressed concern about integrating alternative school students into elementary schools.
"I'm hearing disturbing accounts of repeated violent acts, screaming and cussing at students," Logan said.
"Sometimes teachers have to quote 'clear the room' while a disruptive student goes on a rampage," Logan said, "including cussing, throwing things, and kicking over desks and chairs."
"These outbursts are endangering students and teachers. The constant disruptions make quality learning impossible," Logan said. "It is also not ideal for innocent little ones to see and hear what they do."
Carlin said he was unsure how often rooms have to be cleared for a student having an outburst, but students who are being served by special education and those who are in general education can both have issues.
He said he could not speak to any specific student or incident for privacy reasons. The school board also did not address Logan specifically at the school board meeting, as is its policy.
However, Carlin said teachers and staff are trained to address student disruptive behavior and to use de-escalation techniques.
"There is always a goal to prevent before we have to respond, but there are also plans to respond," he said.
Carlin said the number of students needing help to meet their social and emotional needs has been increasing in all buildings.
He said there are many causes of students struggling with behavioral issues, some of which can include developmental aspects, environment, trauma and biology.
However, he said he did not want those students to be discounted because of those difficulties.
"To label or categorize students in a way that doesn't acknowledge they still have potential ..." Carlin said. "When we use words that don't build on that potential, I think it's harmful to the student and the community as a whole because all of a sudden the hope and the sense of belonging that student has in their school and their community starts to erode."
He said when hope erodes for those students, they have lifelong problems.
"Being able to intervene at a young age and being able to support positive behaviors and the strengths those students have, and helping them see those, is critical to our work," he said. "It relies so much on having the staff around that feels that way too."
Having special education staff in schools has resulted in quicker responses to students in distress, he said.
However, Logan said Wilson has been turned upside down.
"There is disruption after disruption every day," she said. "It is difficult for staff to handle these out-of-control kids, and [they] should not have to handle strong, violent kids at all."
Carlin said, "This is less about a specific school or a specific student incident and more about the global needs in our community and how we meet those needs across the buildings.
"That has been done with training and additional staff."
"The biggest thing I want to make sure everyone understands is that the safety and learning of our students is the most important thing," Carlin said. "Every action that we do is meant to support that for every student in every building."
Logan said she thought all school districts must have an alternative school.
Logan said she thought Westside was closed because of a lack of funding. That was not the case, according to district staff.
At the time the transition was announced, Lindy McDaniel, assistant special education coop director and Westside principal, said students needed more pro-social experiences, and that Westside students were losing instructional time because they were being bused to other schools.
The program also had to rely heavily on online programs, especially for the older students.
The Westside program also lacked many resources, including a school nurse and a library.
Carlin said in an interview this week that having the students back at their home schools has allowed teachers, paras, and other staff to focus on meeting students' educational and emotional needs, rather than providing functions such as food service and transportation.
"Being back in the buildings has been very positive overall," Carlin said. "The supports that are now in the buildings are able to respond to things that were already happening in the buildings. It's less about the students who transitioned and more about the students who were not getting support in the past and are able to get more support now."
Carlin said the district has worked to ensure that the schools have all the staff and resources needed for the transition. The coop has made adjustments during the transitions, including adjusting staff schedules and rearranging resource room class space.
He said each school has had different challenges.
"The biggest key is we found that when the teams are communicating well and things are well organized, we are getting really good results with kids," Carlins said.
Carlin also noted Hays schools were not the only ones making the transition. The coop also includes students from Ellis, Victoria, LaCrosse, Russell and the private schools in those districts.
Carlin will be sharing an update on special education for the first quarter during the school board work session tonight. He said he will be speaking to the board about the transition.
The board meets at 6:30 tonight at the Rockwell Administration Center.
The building adjacent to the Rockwell Administration Center, which had housed the Westside program, is temporarily being used by the WeKan program for special education students ages 18-21. The upper floor is being used for gifted students until Felten Elementary School is completed.
The Rockwell property is scheduled to close upon completion of the bond projects. Administrative offices will move to the former Wilson Elementary School.