Alternative School

Traditionally, youth who were faced with a long term suspension due to drug violations or other inappropriate behavior are suspended for 10-180 days. The collateral consequences of long-term suspension are delays in education, causing the juvenile to fall behind academically; not to mention, that suspending a student does not address the root issue(s) the student maybe experiencing. Additionally, juveniles who are suspended are not supervised during the day due to parents working, which provides an opportunity for youth to continue inappropriate or destructive behavior by committing additional delinquent or status offenses. As an alternative, the youth can be referred to our Alternative School. The school is available through a partnership with all Jasper County School Districts. The Juvenile Division provides the facility space while the Joplin School district provides two certified teachers who instruct children who are suspended or who have difficultly functioning in a traditional school environment. The school provides an opportunity to educationally prepare youth, provide treatment, build competency, and develop healthy relationships. The focus of the Alternative School is to keep youth engaged, supervised, accountable, and educationally prepared with the goal of reducing delinquency and inappropriate behavior.