Crowley ISD student‑services staff told the Board of Trustees that DAEP (the district’s disciplinary alternative education program, or Crowley Learning Center) has served a small share of students districtwide and that most placed students return successfully to their home campuses.

“DAEP is an alternative education placement for students who have violated a district's code of conduct,” a student‑services presenter told trustees, summarizing state placement types and the district’s process. The district reported that DAEP placements have generally ranged from about 10 to 60 days, with an average placement of roughly 15 days.

Student services presented multi‑year placement data and said that in the most recent year the district logged 421 DAEP placements, representing about 2.5% of total enrollment. Of those placements, 48 students returned for a subsequent term (26 high‑school students, 16 middle‑school students and six elementary students); the staff described that figure as a drop from earlier pandemic‑era spikes and said nearly 90% of students placed in DAEP did not return for another placement.

Staff described DAEP programming as rooted in social‑emotional learning (SEL), restorative practices and positive behavior supports. The Crowley Learning Center principal, Mark Harris, told the board the campus provides weekly small‑group and individual counseling, community‑service opportunities, and partnerships with outside providers identified as Recovery Resource of Fort Worth and Project AIM for age‑appropriate mental‑health and anger‑management supports.

Trustees were briefed on a locally piloted “Back on Track” program introduced mid‑year that incentivizes positive behaviors and can shorten a student’s DAEP term when program criteria are met. Staff said about 34% of participating students in the initial pilot earned benefits from that program. The presentation also highlighted a vaping‑education pathway: more than 100 certificates have been earned through an online vaping‑education program that can reduce assigned placement days for students who complete it.

Students and parents participate in an entry orientation when a DAEP placement begins, and staff described a required transition meeting held five days before a student returns to the home campus; that meeting involves parents, the home‑campus counselor and DAEP staff and results in a reintegration plan with SMART goals. District staff said parents’ participation in programs such as a youth engagement summit was associated with shorter or single placements, and they reported substantial parent turnout for pilot events run with a United Way grant.

Trustees asked whether DAEP‑trained staff practices are being shared with general‑education teachers and administrators; staff said secondary‑level de‑escalation, verbal‑de‑escalation and conflict‑resolution training has been offered monthly and that additional training and pilot programs will be expanded next year. Staff also said they will explore data‑tracking to follow DAEP students after they return to campuses to measure follow‑through on reintegration activities and further reduce recidivism.

The presentation emphasized the district’s intent to position DAEP as a learning and re‑entry opportunity rather than a purely punitive measure and described ongoing community engagement to expand parent participation and preventive work on campuses.