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Newark NJ School Closures!
Read more!Newark School Closures!
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So... if they want our kids to go to local schools.... and the local schools are closing...
where are ALL the kids going to go? -
Cape May County Campus
Read more!Cape May County Campus
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DCF Cape May Campus Will 'Transition' by 2010
Government | 1 week 5 days ago | Comments 0
Tags: Crest Haven, DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
By Al Campbell
Cape May Campus of D.C.F. Regional School on Crest Haven Road. Photos by Al Campbell
CREST HAVEN -- Approximately 40 pupils who attend classes at the Cape May Campus of the state Department of Children and Families will “transition” by 2010.
That means they will be attending another school, possibly Special Services School or their local districts.
The redbrick school that adjoins the county Veterans’ Cemetery on Crest Haven Road is among 18 statewide operated by the department’s Office of Education that will cease to operate by 2010, according to Kate Bernyk, spokesperson for the state Department of Children and Families, which operates the schools.
The student body includes pregnant and parenting teens as well as those adjudicated youths and others deemed “at risk” who have not been successful in their home districts.
Programs operated at the school, under Principal Brian Smith, include TEC (Transition Education Center) and TEACH program for pregnant and parenting teen mothers.
Students attend from Middle and Lower townships, Wildwood, Ocean City and Millville.
A mother, who contacted the Herald about the school’s pending closure, said she had been told it was due to state budget cuts.
That is not true, said Bernyk.
“We are in the process of transitioning those regional schools,” she said. The educational responsibility is being shifted to other public educational areas.
The mother, who gave only her first name, Carlin, said her 16-year-old daughter lived in Woodbine.
“I don’t think it’s fair,” Carlin said.
“What is this showing kids? There are young mother learning about parenting,” she added.
She said her daughter has been attending the Cape May Campus since October, and that the school “made such an impact on her, I don’t understand why the governor is closing it down. Some of the girls have babies. Is it because they don’t have enough funds?” she asked.
For each pupil, transfer to a new school will differ, due to individual needs, Bernyk said.
Some students may be “mainstreamed” into their home districts while others may go to programs provided by contract providers, she added.
Closures will take place on a “rolling basis,” Bernyk said. First to go will be those schools in Atlantic, Burlington, Monmouth and Warren counties, as well as Wanaque, Passaic County.
Needs of the students will dictate coordination with local schools, she added.
“We will be notifying the parents and school staffs,” she added.
“Each school will have an individual transition plan,” she continued.
“For example, we might have the Cape May County Special Service School District take over the entire program,” Bernyk stated.
In the course of the past few years, Bernyk said there has been a declining trend in enrollment at the schools.
“Local schools have more capacity to serve their own districts,” she continued.
Because of the reforms being made in the department, Bernyk said it had become necessary to “reform our effort to focus on our core mission.”
“We started to see overall enrollment declining and the Department of Children and Families is not legally responsible for education,” she said.
Staff members at the schools will no longer be state employees, Bernyk said.
The department will assist employees seeking other work, she said.
The department will also work “very diligently with Civil Service and contract rules,” she noted.
“In addition to our priority to highest education, we will be very diligent on how we care for our staff,” she said.
She said he would “work to place employees in vacant positions where qualified.”
TEACH Program (Teen Education and Child Health) is an alternative, year-round education program for pregnant or parenting teens. It serves students at risk of school failure.
TEC is Transitional Education Center, and is an alternative, year-round educational program designed to meet the need of an array of “at risk” students.
Those students are between 13 and 21 and have not completed high school. -
NJ DCF Original Purpose
Read more!04/17/09
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NJ DCFs' original purpose
The Office of Education provides intensive 12 month educational services and supports to children and young adults ages 3 through 21. The severity or uniqueness of their needs requires removal from the public school setting for a period of time. A successful return to school and participation in community life are goals for all OOE students.
These State and federally compliant education programs are designed for students who:
Exhibit severe cognitive, physical, behavioral and emotional disabilities;
Exhibit a variety of moderate to severe learning disabilities;
Are at risk of school failure; and/or
Are pregnant/parenting teens (programs are available for infant/toddlers of parenting teens).
Regular and special education programs are individually designed and provided to these students in the least restrictive environment.
Our students are served in:
Residential facilities within DCF Divisions of Child Behavioral Health Services and Youth and Family Services, as well as the Department of Human Services Division of Mental Health Services;
18 DCF Regional Schools, and two hospital based satellite programs operated by the OOE including: TEC (Transitional Education Centers) programs for at-risk youth, TEACH (Teen Education and Child Health) programs for pregnant and parenting teens with licensed day care centers for the infants/toddlers of the parenting teens; and
A variety of public and private community-based programs.
The OOE also serves students who have no NJ District of Residence as determined by the NJ Department of Education (DOE). These State Responsible students are placed in public, private and State facility school settings according to their individual educational needs.
Educational services include: regular and special education programs, Child Study Team services, related services, educational surrogates, and instructional and assistive technology services.
OOE Mission and Core Beliefs
Vision
All children in New Jersey participate constructively within their local schools and communities as they prepare to become productive members of society.
Mission
The mission of the Office of Education is to support our students’ cognitive, physical, behavioral, and emotional growth in a holistic manner as they discover and learn to ameliorate weaknesses, build upon strengths and prepare for a successful return to their local schools and communities. Our education programs strive to enable our students not only to survive and cope, but also to thrive and enjoy living and working in the real world.
Core Beliefs
All students are capable of learning; education is their fundamental right.
Students are best served in a strength-based planning model designed to foster success and develop self-esteem.
Parents participate as team members with Child Study staff, teachers and support staff in the educational decision making process for their child.
Relevant instructional experiences are developed for students, based on their special education Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or regular education Individualized Program Plans (IPPs).
Educational administrators provide effective program leadership by supporting competent staff.
Education programs provide students a wide variety of community, agency and facility resources within the least restrictive environment.
Thorough, effective transitional planning provides students with the knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes needed to maximize their success in post-secondary environments.
