The Tennessee Alternative Education Council on a virtual meeting reviewed revisions to the statewide alternative-education survey and advanced a proposed two-page transition and reentry plan to be made available in ePlan by May 1.

Council Chair Karen Ball Johnson opened the meeting and members approved the minutes from the Nov. 7 meeting after a motion from Sharon Lindsey and a second from Brian Douglas. "The minutes have been approved," Johnson said during the roll call.

Leslie Watson, the state's alternative education director, reviewed the revised AltEd survey and said the instrument "has been tested" and "will open on May 1 and close on June 30 this year." The changes include an option for LEAs that contract with another system to turn off sections that do not apply, an opt-out for certain systems (for example, departments of corrections or schools that only serve K–6), and auto-population of total student counts for grades 1–5.

The meeting focused largely on a proposed standardized transition/reentry plan Leslie circulated for council input. Josiah Holland, director and principal of the alternative learning center in Williamson County, walked members through his district's two-page plan and described how it captures academic information (current ALC grades, course completion and credit-recovery status) and nonacademic supports (court orders, counseling status, referrals and a "web of 5" support network). "We've reduced our recidivism year to year pretty significantly down to where we only see the same kids about 5 to 10% of our kids," Holland said, describing the district's use of formal transition meetings and follow-up check-ins.

Members debated the form's design to balance ease of use with sufficient detail. Several members suggested pre-populated dropdowns and checkboxes for common items with an "other" narrative field for unique circumstances; others preferred more narrative sections to avoid oversimplifying students' needs. Leslie said the council could include both approaches and asked members to send additional suggestions by email.

Council members discussed attaching behavior plans (VIPs) to the template for students with severe needs. Karen Ball Johnson asked whether a VIP could be required; Leslie replied the council could "require them to attach it if they have one" but was unsure whether the council could require creation of a VIP. Shondrea Hersey cautioned that any requirement must align with IDEA and IEP processes and be considered on a student-by-student basis.

Scott Interbellum, senior director of IDEA and nontraditional education programs, reminded the council that results-based monitoring now includes questions about alternative education and that LEAs identified at higher monitoring levels must upload formal transition plans. "The one thing that we do require LEAs to upload when they're identified as level 2 or level 3 is a copy of their formal transition plans for alternative education," Scott said, framing the template as a compliance and technical-assistance tool as well as a practical record for schools.

Members raised practical concerns about follow-up after students return to traditional schools; Leslie noted statute requires tracking but does not specify timing, and the council discussed adding follow-up fields, responsible parties and narrative accountability sections. Districts also shared challenges including limited placement options for chronically unsafe students, the tradeoffs of remote instruction, and staffing and IT complexity when serving students in juvenile facilities.

Looking ahead, Leslie said the council aims to have a final template ready for presentation by May 1 so it can be listed in ePlan as a template when the system opens; she also shared registration information for the TAEA conference in July and solicited volunteers to staff a council roundtable. The council's next meeting is scheduled for May 1.

Votes at a glance: Sharon Lindsey moved to approve the Nov. 7 minutes; Brian Douglas seconded. The motion passed (minutes approved).