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Board approves RISE Academy night-school time waiver to support working and at-risk students
Summary
The board approved a waiver request to allow RISE Academy’s evening program to meet student-learning-time requirements for students who cannot attend daytime classes, with a pilot targeting 40 students.
The Lawrence Alliance for Education unanimously approved a student-learning-time waiver on Feb. 26 that will let RISE Academy operate an evening high-school program for students who work or face barriers to daytime attendance.
Carlos Cordero, principal of RISE Academy, told the board the pilot targets 40 students and runs Tuesday through Thursday from about 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., plus asynchronous assignments on Mondays and Fridays. Cordero said the district worked with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to craft a waiver because state rules require 990 instructional hours per year and the proposed schedule falls short for the semester being implemented.
"This pilot program is targeting 40 students…The majority of the students are working full time during the day," Cordero said. He said partner-coordination and careful tracking of in-person instruction, asynchronous time and verified work or volunteer hours are part of the DESE-approved plan.
Board members pressed on practical details: how volunteer or work hours will be documented, how the program will serve students involved with juvenile services and how staffing and teacher certification will be handled. Cordero said the program includes certified core instructors in English, math, science and social studies, plus special-education and English-learners supports, and the district assigned a partnership coordinator to verify employer or volunteer hours weekly.
Superintendent Carrero said the waiver covers the current semester and the district will submit a separate waiver for the next school year if it continues and expands. The board approved the waiver by roll call with Arlene Garcia, Juana Matias and Maria Mueller voting yes.
Cordero described the program as a pilot intended to prove demand and build capacity: "There's way more than 40 slots that are needed," he said. The district said it will monitor the pilot and work with DESE on next-year scheduling and any additional waivers.
