Macon-Piatt ROE serving high needs students at alternative schools

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — The first day of school is just a few weeks away. For hundreds of kids in Macon and Piatt Counties, they'll be heading back to alternative schools.

These schools, Milligan Academy and Futures Unlimited, are taking the typical school model and turning it on its head.

"We have worked very hard to make our programs not just a classroom in a different location, but truly a program meeting the needs of our kids," Superintendent Jill Reedy, of the ROE #39, told WAND News.

Milligan serves 6th through 12th graders who were expelled, or repeatedly suspended, or those who need extra support in the classroom.

"We have kids all the time that say, this feels like a family and we belong here, we maybe didn't feel as comfortable or as welcome in the larger setting of their home school—but we come here and we feel like we belong," Superintendent Reedy explained.

The program's director said their model is working, with high rates of students making it to graduation day.

"103 students I think at Milligan, a dozen maybe have been expelled," Brian Plummer, Director of Milligan and Futures, told WAND News.

Plummer said the smaller staff to student ratio is key.

"We get a lot of calls about anxiety, students who are just struggling in rooms of 25-35 kids, kind of lost and falling behind," Plummer added.

Futures Unlimited served 288 kids last year. These are students who were absent too many days and not on track to graduate.

"So when they build that relationship, it's easier for them to come to school. They have three or four people greeting them at the door, before they hit a desk. So it's a lot easier to encourage them when they know people there truly care," Plummer explained.

Superintendent Reedy said there is also a demand for services among kids kindergarten to fifth grade.

"We're seeing a higher need in the elementary levels across all of our districts, and we're looking at a pretty exciting program I hope to be able to talk about in the future, where we can serve those kids and meet their needs as well," Superintendent Reedy added.

Plummer said about a quarter of grades from DPS61 each year come from Milligan and Futures. However, the schools are made up of students from districts across Macon and Piatt counties.