DENVER, March 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The board of the Colorado Department of Education will hear an appeal tomorrow from the Life Skills Charter High School, which serves high risk students ages 16-21 years old, seeking to reverse a Nov. 17, 2011 decision by the Denver Public School board to close the school. The hearing will take place at 1:30 p.m. at the CDE offices, 201 East Colfax in Denver.
"Thousands of students drop out of school each year in the Denver-metro area and we have been honored to partner with Denver Public Schools in providing a strong academic program with supportive services designed to reclaim these students and help them graduate from high school," explained Peter Droege, president of the board of Life Skills Charter High School.
"Our students come to us with great personal challenges, and academic challenges including reading on average at the fifth grade level," continued Droege. "Unlike other charter schools, every student is welcome at Life Skills, no minimum academic requirements, no selection process. Despite working with the most high risk student population in Denver, more than 250 students have graduated from Life Skills Charter High School since the school was founded in 2004," he added.
In November 2011, the Denver Public School District (DPS) School Improvement and Accountability Council (SIAC) issued its recommendations and comments to the Board of Education on charter school renewal applications, recommending that Life Skills High School be given a one-year renewal by the District. On November 17, 2011, DPS Board of Education disregarded the SIAC report recommending renewal and denied Life Skills' renewal application.
Life Skills High School is actively engaged with countless Denver schools, community organizations and probation officers who see the school as a key partner in helping Denver's young people get a fresh start in life.
"We would never think of excluding students out of a concern that their academic performance will drag down our test scores," says Life Skills High School Administrator, Santiago Lopez. Lopez adds, "Now is not the time to eliminate this vital option in the students' choice in education."
The Charter School Appeal: Life Skills High School vs. Denver Public Schools will be held on Wednesday, March 7th 2012 at 1:30pm MST at the State Board Office:
201 E. Colfax Avenue Room 101
Denver, CO 80203
Phone/fax: (303) 866-6817
State.Board@cde.state.co.us
For more information about Life Skills High School, visit wediducan.com.
About Life Skills High School
Life Skills High School is a tuition-free community school in Denver, CO that provides high school students ages 16-21 years old the opportunity to receive a state recognized diploma and a second chance. Life Skills High School provides each student with an individual assessment, a personal academic achievement plan and the individual support needed to succeed and graduate.
Life Skills High School has an 11:1 student-teacher ratio and all of the caring and dedicated teachers are NCLB highly qualified in the subject area in which they teach.
Life Skills provides a fulltime family advocate, or social worker, to assist the students, who often face tremendous challenges in life. Two full time vocational specialists help the students discover their passion and purpose in life. This includes helping them set their sights on college, or finding meaningful career opportunities.
For further information, please contact:
Santiago Lopez
School Administrator, Life Skills High School
Phone/fax: (720) 889-2898 x204
Santiago.Lopez@wediducan.com
Life Skills High School
1000 Cherokee Street
Denver, CO 80204
wediducan.com
SOURCE Life Skills High School
