He believes that there’s a need to revisit this BOE policy due to the concerns raised by some parents of Marianas High School students.
Three MHS students have been charged in the death of the school’s security guard.
Two of the students were supposed to be in the custody of the juvenile detention facility.
MHS parents are concerned about “mixing” at-risk students with the general school population.
Based on BOE policy, education must be provided even to those who committed major offenses, including those detained in the juvenile center.
“We’re obligated by law to provide the education of these kids,” Guerrero said. “We need to figure out how we can provide educators at the juvenile facility.”
He said it is “difficult” to find an educator willing to be assigned to a detention facility.
In the past, he said, the Public School System hired independent contractors.
“This was stopped…and I need to figure out what really happened and see if we can continue doing it,” he added.
Variety learned that some public high schools are also accommodating students who are still on probation.
They are accepted through a “guardianship” agreement with a government agency like the Division of Youth Services.
“Even the board and PSS are not privy to the confidential records of these youths,” Guerrero said. “That’s the reason why we don’t know exactly how many ‘at-risk’ students we have on our campuses.”
But even if a youth is a minor offender, his or her right to education cannot be taken away, he added.
“However, if they are violent kids and have committed major offenses…then we need to bring [educators] to them [at the detention center],” he said.
