Getting Credit Students’ Work Will Now Count Toward Graduation

A teenage boy sat in class Thursday and answered questions about “To His Coy Mistress,” a poem by Andrew Marvel.

A girl across the room did algebra and another boy completed a physics lesson on the computer.

For the first time, the credits these students receive for their schoolwork will count toward their high school graduation.

They haven’t before because the school at North Idaho Behavioral Health - where the students are all patients - was not accredited, said Tim Bow, supervisor of school services.

“Oftentimes, you would hear, `Why should I do the work? I’m not going to get credit for it,”’ Bow said. “This forces schools to take those credits.”

Applying for and receiving accreditation from the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges was a yearlong process. Among the requirements were showing that the school’s curriculum complied with state standards, that the library had enough books and that the computer technology was current.

The school became accredited in January, Bow said.

Teachers say students now are more motivated to complete their work because they know they’ll receive credit. For example, one 17-year-old girl finished two high school credits in the past month, said Lisa Dunning, a teachers’ assistant.

The behavioral health center is part of of Kootenai Medical Center and serves children age 6 to 17. With a capacity of about 45, it is the region’s largest youth treatment center for behavioral and chemical dependency problems. Patients stay for one week to 4 months. The average stay is 10 days.

The most common reasons for admittance are depression, suicidal tendencies or a likelihood to hurt themselves or others, said Richard Forcier, a teacher.

The school staff’s goal is to ensure that the children do not lose ground at school while they are receiving treatment. Patients who keep up make smoother transitions back to regular schools when they are dismissed, Bow said.

Some of the patients are from this area and can be sent schoolwork from their usual schools to keep up with their class while in treatment. Other patients are from as far away as Pennsylvania and Missouri and have come to the center through the CEDU schools in Bonner and Boundary counties. Those private schools specialize in students with behavioral problems. But those students are frequently sent to North Idaho Behavioral Health for short stays when they have problems, Bow said.

In Sheila Stone’s classroom Thursday, one boy kept coming and going from the classroom. He tipped back in his chair repeatedly, then pushed the point of his pencil into the table in front of him. Another boy made a loud noise like a horse when Stone turned her back. Stone sent him out to the hallway for a five-minute punishment.

But the rest of the students worked quietly or waited for instruction.

Bow said a school in a behavioral health center is frequently the only familiar thing the students encounter.

“It adds a normal element to their routine,” Stone said.