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Canutillo DAP teacher urges board review of sudden program restructuring
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Summary
Sarah Pugh, a 12‑year DAP math teacher, told the board the disciplinary alternative education program was abruptly moved from off‑campus to campus‑based DAPs, creating staff confusion and potential instructional impacts; she requested a formal board review.
Sarah Pugh, a Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAP) math teacher of 12 years, told the Canutillo ISD Board of Trustees during the March 24 open forum that recent changes to the DAP model were implemented too quickly and without sufficient planning.
“On Monday, February 23, we were informed that DAP would no longer be an off‑campus program. Instead, individual campus DAPs would be created,” Pugh said. She described short notice to staff, reassignment of DAP personnel, average class sizes of about four students and a program that previously relied on small‑group, daily direct instruction. “This sudden change raised many questions and caused confusion, anxiety and fear in students and staff,” she told the board.
Pugh asked whether parents and campus teachers had been consulted before implementation and requested a formal board review of actions taken by the administration. She argued that the district’s track record of improving student grades within the off‑campus DAP — citing daily direct instruction and incentives that extended student stays for noncompliance — indicated a well‑functioning intervention model that should not be dismantled without clear evidence of a better alternative.
Board procedure: The board’s open forum guidance (policy BED local) limits public commenters to three minutes; Pugh also said she would submit a written letter for the superintendent and trustees to review. The board did not take immediate action on the matter during the meeting; Pugh said she would email additional concerns to the superintendent and trustees.
