The Hall County School System has devised a new program to help older students from other countries adjust to the public school classroom in Georgia.
Coordinators presented a plan for the Newcomer Academy to the Hall County School Board at a meeting last week.
School Superintendent Will Schofield told board members there are migrant students of high school age coming into the Hall County system - and others in the state - with little or no formal education. Because of their age, they land in a high school classroom when they arrive here, but they have few skills to cope in school.
"It is malpractice what we do with a lot of students who are older age with no English skills," Schofield said.
The Newcomer Academy, to be set up on the same campus as the Early College@Jones, would allow those students one school year to learn apart from the regular high school classroom for a half day. The rest of the school day, the students would be assigned to a Hall County high school with the remainder of the school population.
"These students would belong to their home high school," Dr. Terry Sapp, Hall County's High School Improvement Specialist, told board members.
Students would be screened at their home high school and if their parents opt to send them to the Newcomer Academy, they would travel on the same school buses being used to transport students who take classes at the Early College, so no additional transportation would be needed.
A total of 452 students were identified as migrant students for the 2016-17 school year, according to school system information. Between 20-25 of those students currently fit the criteria for the Newcomer Academy. Officials estimate there would be about 40 students eligible for the inaugural program in the 2017-18 school year.
