Wimpy Winter No More 
Season's Belated First Snowfall Delights Kids, Closes Stores

By JENNIFER LEARN; Times Leader Hazleton Bureau
 Saturday, February 04, 1995 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





HAZLETON -- Tucked away in the basement at Hazleton Junior High School is a
class with different rules. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 No homework. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Breaks for candy. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Daily showings of "Cops," the real-life action drama. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 This is Hazleton Area School District's alternative education program. It's
called "Options" and is an attempt to transform tough-talking teens who once
flunked grades and skipped school into self-confident students who can return
to the regular classroom. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The new state Republican administration wants to see more alternative
education programs like it in coming years to remove disruptive, troubled and
sometimes violent children from regular classrooms. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 On Monday the state House of Representatives will vote on a new "Disruptive
Student Program Act" that would allocate $3.9 million statewide for
alternative education programs, said State Rep. Tom Stish, R-Hazleton, adding,
"I think it's a much needed piece of legislation because disruptive students
can ruin the environment for everyone in the class." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 More schools would consider starting an alternative education program such
as Hazleton's if they could come up with the money, said Wilkes-Barre Area
School District Superintendent Thomas J. Rushton. No similar program exists in
Wilkes-Barre, he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hazleton Area School officials hope the funding is increased so they can
expand "Options" -- which serves about 40 students and has a waiting list. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We could double the size of the program and perhaps even triple it and
still fill every slot," said Hazleton Junior High School Principal Edward
Ecker. He volunteered to have the district-wide program housed at his school
when it was started six years ago. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Pennsylvania Drug Free Schools Act funding covers half the annual
$50,000 bill for "Options" because it includes substance abuse lessons to
target alternative education students from families with substance abuse
problems. The district pays the rest of the bill. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A $35,000 grant for computers obtained by pupil services director Ed Lyba
allowed the district to accept five more students in "Options" this year. They
are aged 15 to 18. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Students who prefer calculating sales tax and designing shapes on computers
instead of working with paper must first prove in class they are industrious,
Lyba said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Options" students also practice skills they can use -- sewing, cooking,
writing resumes and designing a budget -- at the Hazleton Area Career Center
half of each day with community service teacher Elizabeth Rossi. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Surprisingly, calmness and concentration prevailed during a recent visit to
an "Options" classroom. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "People expect to see projectiles when they walk in the room," said Jim
Wetterau, who teaches reading and English to the alternative education
students, as he gestured to an immaculate floor. "The cleaning people say it's
the cleanest room in the building." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A bag of used sneakers sits in the corner for students who can't afford a
pair but need them for gym class. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Adding machine receipts showing how students' grades were calculated hang
on the chalkboard for inspection. This way, students can't claim they were
cheated on report cards. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Students learn they get what they deserve in life," Wetterau explained. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Homework isn't assigned because it probably wouldn't get done. All work
must be finished in class. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Those who finish their math and short stories can watch an episode of the
"Cops" drama. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The teachers -- Wetterau and math-science instructor Paul Burry -- don't
scream at students because they fear it would trigger a defensive reaction.
They try to use reassuring words and occasionally pass out candy. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Students going to the bathroom must take a chaperone along in case someone
accuses them of smoking. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Despite the apparent perks of "Options," teachers and students insist the
workload surpasses that of a regular classroom because the students have to
compensate for time lost in previous years. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Students get angry when peers say they're loafing and counter that they
spend at least two uninterrupted hours reading and completing academic
assignments daily, Wetterau said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A few students quit the program because they thought the workload was too
heavy. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Everybody says this is a free ride. I get so sick of hearing that," said
Terri, a 17-year-old Hazleton girl who did not want her last name published. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We work just as hard as kids in regular school; we just need more help." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 School officials say they have not yet used numbers to specifically track
"Options" students -- for example to gauge how many plan to go on to college
-- but they say they have seen the program's value firsthand. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 They say they notice a difference in most students a few weeks into the
program. Their self esteem increases as they realize they aren't dumb. They
rarely miss school. They bond with fellow "Options" students and discuss
future career ideas, teachers say. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "There's a deep, deep need in these guys to do well," Wetterau said. "Once
they find out they're capable and just as bright, they will do well." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

`options' Gives Struggling Students A Second Chance 
An Alternative Program In Which The Rules Are 
Different, ``options'' Aims At Helping Insecure 
Students Regain Their Self-confidence And 
Return To The Regular Classroom

`options' Gives Struggling Students A Second Chance An Alternative Program In Which The Rules Are Different, ``options'' Aims At Helping Insecure Students Regain Their Self-confidence And Return To The Regular Classroom