Winchester Public Schools offers two types of alternative education. Both programs are housed at the Rhodes Center. Regardless of the program, the goal of alternative education in Winchester Public Schools is to increase students' academic and/or behavioral skills so that they can successfully return to their base school in a timely fashion.
The first is a program for students placed on Out of School Restriction (OSR) for short-term discipline infractions. These middle and high school students report to the Rhodes Center for the duration of their suspension. While at Rhodes, the students will complete work provided by their base school teachers. Work assigned and completed at Rhodes will be credited towards the students' assigned classes. At the end of the student's assigned OSR, the student will return to their base school and resume their schedule as usual.
The second program is designed for middle and high school students serving longer discipline suspensions or placed by principal request. Within this program students are assigned to The Rhodes Center as their primary educational setting. Students are placed in an alternative classroom setting that focuses on social emotional well-being, academic credit recovery, and increasing reading and math foundational skills.
Students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) will meet with their base school case manager and IEP team to update the plan. The IEP will reflect the placement in the alternative center and possibly the goals set forth as exit criteria.
