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Sumter presents overview of SASSY alternative program as board presses for more staffing and space
Summary
District staff and Sumter Academy principal James Boone told the board SASSY serves about 158 students and focuses on academic, social and emotional interventions; trustees pressed for more full‑time counselors, psychologists and a transition specialist and raised space and recidivism concerns.
Sumter School District leaders and Sumter Academy For Support and Intervention (SASSY) Principal James Boone presented an overview of the district’s alternative education program and answered board questions during the Jan. 27 work session.
Boone said SASSY, the district’s required alternative program, currently serves 158 students (151 reported earlier in the day plus seven newly assigned), with 58 middle school and 93 high school students. “We do behavior interventions daily,” Boone said, describing morning check‑ins, small‑group counseling and use of an online platform, Edmentum, for academic remediation. He said staffing includes multiple classroom teachers, an assistant principal, a school counselor, a behavior interventionist and a part‑time nurse and social worker.
The presentation outlined SASSY’s intake and exit processes: students assigned through hearings are given an orientation and may begin the next school day; an exit review with the base school occurs at the end of the assigned period (for example, 45 days) to determine whether the student can return. Boone said 51 high‑school and 27 middle‑school students exited during the first semester and returned to their base schools after meeting program requirements.
Board members pressed Boone and district staff on academic outcomes, virtual placements and supports for repeat students. Dr. Ralph W. Canty Sr. asked whether students assigned to the virtual component are supervised at home; Boone said the district relies on parental reporting and weekly outreach: “The teachers who are through Edmentum contact Miss Breeland when they can’t get in touch with parents or students not logging on,” Boone said. He added that some students do better virtually while others need in‑person interventions.
Trustee Olson asked for school‑level rosters so the board could track where students come from; Boone said he could provide that. Several trustees and the superintendent emphasized chronic absenteeism and recidivism (Boone cited roughly 25% recidivism among students assigned previously) as continuing challenges. Boone and district leaders recommended adding full‑time mental‑health staff (a daily social worker, a full‑time therapist and a psychologist), a transition specialist to coordinate return to base schools, and more space to allow additional on‑site placements.
The presentation also listed partnerships used by SASSY, including Sumter Behavioral Health Services, Santee Wateree Department of Mental Health, Shaw Air Force Base mentors, and the South Carolina Youth Challenge Academy. Boone described individual success stories—students who completed alternative pathways and later enrolled in the military—to illustrate the program’s role as an intervention option.
The board and administration agreed to follow up: trustees requested detailed school‑level assignments, a staffing review and continued discussion about space and placement options in the upcoming budget process.
