SISD to Provide Educational Services for New Alternative Education Program
School districts across Grayson County will soon have the option to send students facing expulsion from school to a new alternative education program.
Starting in August 2023, Grayson County Juvenile Services will operate a Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program (JJAEP) at a site at the North Texas Regional Airport — Perrin Field. Sherman ISD will provide basic educational services to students under an agreement with Grayson County and other Grayson County districts that choose to participate.
The facility will be similar to existing partnerships for the Grayson County Juvenile Detention Center, Grayson County Post-Adjudication Facility and Monarch Center. Transportation to and from the JJAEP will be the responsibility of the student’s parents.
Texas state law requires that every expelled student be enrolled in an education program. A JJAEP is required for counties with a population greater than 125,000, and Grayson County surpassed that threshold in the 2020 census. Initially, the Grayson County JJAEP will serve up to 36 students, with the opportunity to expand as the county continues to grow.
“The primary goal of the JJAEP is to reduce delinquency and increase accountability and rehabilitation in young offenders,” said Dr. Greg Sumpter, director of the Grayson County Department of Juvenile Services. “Grayson County has established a reputation for providing a safe and secure environment for students that emphasizes education, discipline, physical fitness, social responsibility and productive work.”
Jenifer Politi, current principal of Sherman High School, will serve as principal to the JJAEP. Sherman ISD will continue to serve students for more minor violations of its Student Code of Conduct in the district’s Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP), which operates near the SISD Service Center at 2701 N Loy Lake Rd.
“The JJAEP provides another avenue for those more serious disciplinary infractions where they can still be served educationally but housed at a different location,” said Sherman ISD Deputy Superintendent Dr. Thomas O’Neal. “We’re excited to grow our long-time partnership with Grayson County to serve these students in a setting where they can reset, focus and learn.”
Students will transition back to their home school and district following the successful completion of their placement at the Grayson County JJAEP.