RISON - On the same night that the Woodlawn School Board approved policies for students to attend the new alternative school at Kingsland, the board also supported a request by the administration to allow a student to attend the school.Superintendent Dr. Kevin Hancock said the school board approved the alternative learning environment (ALE) policies as well as changes in the Woodlawn High School student handbook related to how students could be placed at Connections Academic that will be housed in the Kingsland School building.Connections Academy will be operated by the Arkansas River Education Cooperative based in Pine Bluff, and is modeled after an alternative school the cooperative operates in the Pine Bluff. That school is used by the Pine Bluff, Watson Chapel, White Hall and the Stuttgart school districts.Connections Acadmey will be used by three school districts: Woodlawn, Cleveland County and Fordyce. Each of those school boardshave approved memorandums of understanding to use the new school as an alter(see (continued from page 1) native for students who need it. The Hampton School Board also considered it, but decided not to participate.Hancock explained that the school districts can use the school in two ways: one for students who have difficulty succeeding in a regular school setting, and also as an option to expulsion.Among the changes approved in the revised Woodlawn High School handbook is one offering Connections Academy as an alternative to expulsion. The school board heard an expulsion case during its meeting Monday night and recommended that student be given the option to attend Connections Academy rather than be expelled.Hancock described Connections Academy as "an extra layer of direction" when it comes to options for expulsion.While the new school can be an alternative to expulsion, Hancock said the primary focus will be on offering alternative learning environments for those students who need i...
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