4.00 GENERAL GUIDELINES AND MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS 4.10 School district discipline policies shall include provisions for placement of a student with disciplinary, socially dysfunctional, or behavioral problems not associated with a handicapping condition in an alternative learning environment provided by the district. Behavioral problems shall include those at risk of not satisfactorily completing a high school education.

As used in this chapter: (1)

• (A)
  • (i) “Alternative learning environment” means an alternate class or program within a public school or school district that affords all students an environment that seeks to eliminate barriers to learning for any student whose academic and social progress is negatively affected by the student's personal characteristics or situation.
  • (ii) The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education shall by rule more fully define the student's personal characteristics and situations applicable under this chapter.
• (B) An alternative learning environment is not a punitive environment but one that is conducive to learning.
• (C) An alternative learning environment is not a separate school for the purposes of this title even if the division assigns the alternative learning environment a separate local education agency number; and (2) “Intervention services” means activities within or outside a school that will eliminate traditional barriers to learning.

(a)

• (1) A school district shall provide one (1) or more alternative learning environments for all students who meet the minimum criteria established by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education.
• (2) A school district complies with this section if the school district provides an alternative learning environment by one (1) or more of the following methods:
  • (A) Establishes and operates an alternative learning environment;
  • (B) Cooperates with one (1) or more other school districts to establish and operate an alternative learning environment;
  • (C) Uses an alternative learning environment operated by an education service cooperative established under The Education Service Cooperative Act of 1985, § 6-13-1001 et seq.; or
  • (D) Partners with a state-supported institution of higher education and technical institutes to provide concurrent courses or technical education options for academic learning to students in grades eight through twelve (8-12).

(b) Annually, a school district shall submit to the division:

• (1) Information on race and gender of the students educated in the alternative learning environment;
• (2) Any other information regarding students educated in alternative learning environments that the division requires by rule; and
• (3) An assurance statement that the school district is in compliance with this chapter.

(a) An alternative learning environment shall:

• (1) Assess a student either before or upon entry into the alternative learning environment; and
• (2) Provide intervention services designed to address a student's specific educational needs.

(b)

• (1) A student assigned to an alternative learning environment for behavioral reasons shall receive intervention services designed to address the student's behavioral needs.
• (2) The intervention services shall not be punitive in nature but shall be designed for long-term improvement of the student's ability to control his or her behavior.

(a) The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education shall promulgate rules to implement this chapter, including without limitation rules that establish:

• (1)
  • (A) The criteria for distributing state funding for alternative learning environment programs.
  • (B) The criteria shall identify the characteristics of students who may be counted for the purpose of funding an alternative learning environment program including without limitation that a student is educated in the alternative learning environment for a minimum of twenty (20) consecutive days.
  • (C) If a student is educated in the alternative learning environment for fewer than twenty (20) days, the division may provide funding to a school district based on the actual number of days the student is educated in the alternative learning environment if the student:
    • (i) Leaves the school district to transfer to another alternative learning environment; or
    • (ii) Is placed in a residential treatment program;
• (2)
  • (A) The criteria for teacher training for teachers in alternative learning environments, including without limitation:
    • (i) In-service training in classroom management; and
    • (ii) Training in additional areas related to the specific needs and characteristics of students who are educated in alternative learning environments.
  • (B) The division shall award professional development credit for the training under this subdivision (a)(2); and
• (3) Measures of effectiveness for alternative learning environments that measure:
  • (A) For the students educated in the alternative learning environment the effect on the students':
    • (i) School performance;
    • (ii) Need for intervention; and
    • (iii) School attendance and dropout rate; and
  • (B) Any other characteristic of alternative learning environments deemed necessary by the division.

(b)

• (1) As part of the division's accreditation review of a school district under § 6-15-202, the division shall evaluate each alternative learning environment to ensure that the alternative learning environment is:
  • (A) Established and operated in compliance with this chapter; and
  • (B) Effective under the measurements established by the division under this section.
• (2) The division shall identify a school district's noncompliance with this chapter on the school district's annual report card.

(c) The division shall identify information concerning best practices for educating students in alternative learning environments and disseminate that information to teachers and administrators working in alternative learning environments.

(d) Annually by September 15, the division shall provide to the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education a report on:

• (1) The information reported to it under § 6-48-102; and
• (2) The effectiveness of alternative learning environments evaluated under this chapter.