Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Programs (JJAEPs)
Mission: Supporting and educating students who have not succeeded in traditional school environments.
Southwest Key operates four alternative schools, or Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program (JJAEP), in Texas. JJAEP is a therapeutic, educational setting that serves adolescents between the ages of 10 to 17 who have been expelled from their local school districts. The JJAEP provides daily instruction, supervision, and educational support for high-risk students, providing these youth with the tools and knowledge needed to make positive changes in their lives.
Current Program Locations
Hidalgo County JJAEP, McAllen, TX: 956-994-006
Cameron County JJAEP, San Benito, TX: 956-361-4629
Bexar County JJAEP, San Antonio, TX: 210-335-8500
Travis County JJAEP, Austin, TX: 512-236-8315
History of Program Model
In 1995, the Texas legislature mandated that all counties with a population greater than 125,000 develop alternative schools for students who have been expelled as a result of certain offenses committed on a school campus, such as felony drug possession, assault, or weapons possession. Prior to the creation of these Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Programs (JJAEPs), disruptive and dangerous students either remained in the classroom or were expelled to the street. The JJAEPs ensure safe classrooms for teachers and students while providing educational services in an alternative setting for expelled students.
Southwest Key has been a statewide leader in the operation of Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Programs in three large Texas counties for over ten years: Travis (Austin area), Cameron (San Benito), and Hidalgo (Weslaco). In August 2007, Southwest Key began operation of the Bexar County JJAEP in San Antonio, the third largest JJAEP in the State. Southwest Key supplements the traditional educational experience with therapeutic services for students ages ten to seventeen, including individual, group and family counseling and chemical dependency counseling. The schools also provide transitional services to help students reintegrate into their home campuses after exiting the JJAEP.
About the Program Model
Most of the students that we work with are at high risk for dropping out of school altogether. As such, a major priority of the JJAEP is to engage these youth in education by re-establishing a positive relationship between the schools, these students, and their families. To accomplish this, the JJAEP is designed to recreate the student's view of a teacher/school administrator, create positive relationships with positive adult role models, and focus on a student's strengths.
For more information about this program model, contact:
Veronica Delgado-Savage
Chief Program Officer
Southwest Key Programs
vdelgadosavage@swkey.org
512.462.2181
