<\/a><\/p>\nAll in all, the numbers reflect a small minority of troubled students on district campuses, according to Pletenik. \u201cYou have to be careful of statistics. Some of the higher rates reflect that some schools are more strict, which doesn\u2019t translate to them having more issues,\u201d he said. \u201cNinety-seven percent of our students never commit a major infraction.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the 2014-15 school year, only four students districtwide were expelled; two of those had attended Betty Fairfax High School. Wooley and Pletenik say that expulsion and suspension are final resorts after other types of interventions have failed. Fairfax offers numerous programs from tutoring to counseling to peer advisory groups with the goal of supporting children. A notable one is Positive Behavior Intervention Systems and Support, or PBISS.<\/p>\n
New signage reminding students of appropriate behavior specific to hallways, classrooms and the cafeteria is part of the new focus on PBISS. The idea is to reward individual students with Stampede Bucks for adhering to the rules and setting good examples. The Bucks can be used to purchase \u201cgame cards\u201d that grant cardholders the privilege of playing on arcade-style games that are located in school\u2019s four main campuses. Wooley said that instead of having study hall, for example, students can take some time to shoot some mini hoops if they\u2019ve earned a game card.<\/p>\n
Shirley Waltenberg is the president of the Fairfax High School Band Boosters and her daughter is a senior this year. She has nothing but praise for how school officials handled the challenges last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey did the best they could. They did the drills like they were trained,\u201d Waltenberg said of the evacuations after the bomb threats. \u201cThings happen at any school where there are hormonal teenagers.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said her daughter is enrolled in the International Baccalaureate program (IB), and that most classes contain 12 to 15 students. \u201cThese are kids who want to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schools have to meet stringent requirements to teach the IB program. The curriculum is recognized by top universities and college worldwide. According to Greatschools.net, IB programs set high standards for learning, emphasizing creative and critical thinking. The program also focuses on research and encourages students to learn from their peers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re really, really pleased with Betty Fairfax,\u201d Walternberg added. \u201cWe\u2019re happy with the level of safety and education. My daughter has never felt frightened or threatened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dawn Tetesco\u2019s daughter plays varsity volleyball and participates in numerous clubs and activities at the school, including the National Honor Society. Her daughter is a senior this year and has focused on taking classes throughout her four years that also count toward college credit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think she\u2019s getting a great education,\u201d Tetesco said. \u201cShe\u2019s helping with freshmen orientation and is always volunteering on campus.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wooley, whose younger son is a Fairfax graduate, said he takes a very personal interest in his school and its reputation. During a tour of the high school, he noted that he was the first teacher to sign a contract to teach there when it opened in 2007. In the past eight years, Wooley has worked his way up to assistant principal before being named to the top position this year.<\/p>\n
Schiller said Wooley joins two other principals, including Schavon T. Waggoner at Cesar Chavez and Kate McDonald at South Mountain, participating in a new program to support newer principals. Phoenix Union has put in place Scott Gayman as a mentor to the three. Gayman is a longtime resident of the area, and the former principal at Cesar Chavez. His role will be to support and guide the three principals.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe lives in the community; he knows the community,\u201d Pletenik said of Gayman. After a shooting in January 2015 during a basketball game between Fairfax and Cesar Chavez, Gayman initiated a rule that no one other than students from the two competing schools could attend sporting events at Cesar Chavez. Four youth were arrested in that shooting \u2013 no one was injured but about 15 shots were fired \u2013 and none of them attended either of the two schools.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a very restrictive measure, but very effective,\u201d Pletenik said.<\/p>\n
But many Laveen residents still contend safety remains an issue with several residents saying they called news outlets to alert them to the bomb threats and evacuations last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really wish the media wouldn\u2019t report on these incidents,\u201d Pletenik said of the bomb threats. \u201cIt can get blown up. And I know that sometimes it makes schools look like they\u2019re being played by the culprit. But if there was just one time when we didn\u2019t react, would that embolden the person to do worse than make threats?\u201d<\/p>\n
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By Rose Tring For the South Mountain District News Anticipating renewed community concern about safety as school begins this week, educators and staff at Betty H. Fairfax High School are ready with multiple preparations to keep the Laveen campus safe including new security shelters at the three entrances, rewards for positive behavior, extensive support services […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":480,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[237,346,262,219],"tags":[227,349,161,160,154,253,347,236,156],"yoast_head":"\n
Fairfax High adds safety measures as school starts - Laveen Business Directory<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n