Violence keeps juvenile detention's school closed

For the 450 young offenders at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center, school's out.

Indefinitely.

The Nancy B. Jefferson Alternative School, the Chicago public school for juveniles in custody, was shut down by Cook County officials after a Feb. 18 brawl injured 16 youths and 10 staffers.

Earl Dunlap, the center's transitional administrator, says the school on Chicago's West Side will remain closed until it's safe to return.

"It's almost an emergency situation in there right now," said Malcolm Young, executive director of the John Howard Association, a Chicago-based nonprofit prison reform group. "I'll tell you, I have more anxiety with what's going on there than I do with the Cook County jail, that has 10,000 inmates."

There were 494 violent incidents logged at the school between April and June 2006, according to Cook County data. Several were assaults on teachers during school hours.

"This year has been even worse," said Jefferson Principal Judith Adams.

A severe shortage of detention center staffing and a faulty grouping system for residents have been blamed for the incidents.

Brenda Welch, the center's deputy transitional administer, said the facility has 175 vacancies. Dozens of other staff members are on medical or family leave, she said.

In a Thursday federal court appearance, center administrators asked Judge John Nordberg if they could fill those vacancies by hiring a temporary security firm. The judge will reconvene the hearing on Monday.

Officials from Teamsters Local 714, the union to which most center employees belong, say bringing in an independent contractor would violate their collective bargaining agreement.

An average class size at Jefferson is between 10 and 15 students, Adams said. Yet because of staffing issues, the school has never had security officers in classrooms.

Nor did it separate residents by offense, gang affiliation or behavioral needs.

"We're talking about a very traditional school program in a very untraditional environment," Welch said.

At the school, Welch said, "they've always had staff positioned in the hallways, with teachers alone in the classroom. Only when things got out of control did they intervene."

Jefferson school teachers and detention center staffers are supposed to work together, Welch said. Still, the relationship between the two entities is a fragile one.

"Our job is to educate, the detention center's job is to provide security at the school," said Chicago Public School Chief of Staff Brian Samuels. "We do have different missions. ... To that extent there is some friction."

One of those sources of friction is the amount of time students are spending in class, Welch said. Chicago public schools mandate that children receive 300 minutes of education per school day.

Moving children from their living units to school and back often causes Jefferson to fall under quota, she said.

With their school shut down, students now are being taught in their living units.

"Taught" is a loose term, said Young, the executive director of the John Howard group, which in March did a private audit of the facility.

"Right now, teachers are bringing the material up, but it's not matched to the kids' ability levels or needs," Young said. "What they're doing basically keeps the teachers legally employed."

Officials are in the process of imposing a new classification system, Welch said.

Residents facing different charges, co-conspirators and rival gang members will all be kept separate in both the living units and the classrooms.

"This is major for us," Welch said. "In order for the Nancy B. Jefferson school to try to accommodate us, we've made a ton of concessions."

One of those concessions, Welch said, is trying to factor in grade level into each subgroup of residents.

On April 7, 54 residents were allowed back into Jefferson on a trial basis.

Those selected are all long-term male residents facing criminal charges as adults, Welch said.

"We're working out the quirks. If it works with these kids, it will work with all the others," Welch said.

No more than 18 residents will move through the hallways at one time. The security staff, known at the center as counselors, are stationed in each classroom.

"Time out" rooms have also been sanctioned in the school, creating a safe environment for kids who have been acting out.

Welch said she's pleased with the progress made between center staffers and the school's teachers so far.

"Now, the teachers and the (security staff) are debriefing at the end of every day," Welch said. "They're talking about behavior issues, and what went on that day together for the first time."

Before the classes were indefinitely canceled, Young said, his association was planning to go in and look at how well the school was functioning.

"There's all kinds of things to look at," he said. "Are they engaging kids in the right way? Are they adequately teaching short-term and long-term residents? What's the quality of the teaching?"

There are a lot of concerns, Young said.

"We'll try to look at those once the school's operating."

For now, the task at hand is bringing students back to a safe Nancy B. Jefferson, Adams said.

"Grades should be given next week," she said. "We're losing valuable time."