by Roseana Auten
Bruce Banner’s job as a teacher’s aide at AISD’s Alternative Learning Center
(ALC) is a lot harder these days; he’s been assaulted by students three times
so far this year.
The ALC is a facility for secondary school students who have been ejected from
their home campuses because of serious or consistent misbehavior, such as
abusive language, class disruptions, and assault. Students attend classes at
the facility for a limited time, and then return to their assigned schools.
Banner runs the ISS program (In-School Suspension) at the ALC, where students
go when they misbehave at ALC. He teaches them social skills, gets them to
write about “honor” or “courage,” and attempts to get students to articulate
their values, and to realize how their values might clash with someone
else’s.
Last year, Banner said, the school was under control. Only two fights of any
consequence occurred, he said. This year is a different story. In the third
incident this year, a student swung around and struck Banner in the jaw last
week, causing lacerations in his mouth. Banner said the school resource officer
(SRO — the AISD police officer assigned to the campus) wasn’t very encouraging
about filing an assault charge against the student.
AISD chief of police Pat Fuller said that the SRO did not know the extent of
Banner’s injury at the time it occurred. “When people report this, they need to
tell the officer what really happened. You have to communicate with one
another.” Banner has filed his complaint.
Two days after Banner was assaulted, riotous behavior erupted when a student
assaulted an AISD police officer as the student was being taken into custody.
The officer responded with more force and all hell broke loose when other
students joined the fracas. Twelve Austin police units came out to the ALC,
said Fuller. He said he has not yet received the report from APD, but he
thought at least one other student was taken into custody at that time.
What’s clear to Banner, at least, is that the ALC is handling more new
students — up to 10 every day, he estimates. One cause could be budget
reductions in middle school staffing that have ended most in-school suspension
programs on middle school campuses, said area superintendent Eugenio Hinojosa.
Those students are being sent to the ALC instead.
The period of time a student spends at the ALC has also increased, from six to
nine weeks, said Mel Coleman, AISD executive director of student services. The
school district and Travis County law officers are doing a better job of
enforcing attendance this year at the ALC, as well. Coleman said he has already
requested additional staff for the ALC and will work with the school’s
principal, who was hired several weeks into the school year and is brand new on
the scene.
New, so-called “safe schools” laws, enacted during the last legislative
session, are flummoxing many school districts in Texas as it is. Local
enhancements of student discipline policies, such as the ones AISD has
undertaken, don’t seem to make the job any easier.
In board action: The AISD Board of Trustees on Monday put off voting on a new,
tougher high school graduation plan until AISD staff attaches a fiscal note to
the proposal. They also voted for a 1.2% percent increase in the salary of
classified workers, who did not get a cost of living increase at budget time in
June, as did other AISD employees. Finally, the board approved a contract with
its new law firm of Bickerstaff, Heath, & Smiley. The firm is not being
paid a retainer fee, and is instead charging its hourly rate — $140 to $155 an
hour, depending upon whether an associate or a a partner is performing the
work. n
This article appears in October 27 • 1995 and October 27 • 1995 (Cover).