RANDOLPH COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — Randolph County Schools officials want to make sure all students are succeeding even if disciplinary action is taken, and they’re suspended from school.
The Juvenile Day Reporting Center is working to help suspended students who want to learn.
“We have a high suspension rate here for kids, and I just feel that the kids need a safe place to go where they can get one-on-one instruction,” the Director for the Juvenile Day Reporting Center Pamela Resch said.
The JDRC’s suspension program partners with both Asheboro City Schools and the RCS. It began last year with 200 students.
This year, the program has seen around 40 students so far.
Case Manager Lauren Walls is one of many people who guide the kids through their suspension process and help students catch up on schoolwork they may have missed.
“Whenever they get behind, that usually is what kind of hurts them the most when they go back to school … We’re trying to prevent that,” Walls said.
Walls also provides a safe place for students to speak up about their problems and help them understand how to change their wrong behavior.
“I help them deal with whatever got them in trouble in the first place, so if they … are getting in trouble at school a lot for the same thing over and over again, we kind of sit down and say … Where do you think you went wrong?” Walls said.
Whether it’s helping at the Randolph County Animal Shelter or even helping out at the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, community service is also part of these students’ experience.
“I love being able to help those kids work through these problems so … they have a better chance at a better life,” Walls said.
The facility is located at South Fayetteville Street in Asheboro and can hold up to 80 students.
The director of the program is looking to expand their location and looking for more mentors.
The program is free for any parents that want to enroll their kids, and the program also offers free transportation.
