Slipping through the cracks

In 2002, former Blazer Joseph Outlaw, then a senior, remembers feeling intimidated as he was ushered into a conference room with two of his teachers, his father and Principal Phillip Gainous. The adults around him acknowledged some of his positive traits and some of his negative ones, and he was asked to leave the room for a moment. When he came back inside, he was told that, because of his failing grades and numerous absences, it was time for him to reconsider his future - a future that would not include Blair.

Outlaw's expulsion, however, did not signal the end of his education. Maryland State Law states that students are entitled to a free education until they are 16 and at Blair, this means that students who receive failing grades are not compelled to stay in school. Rather, they are encouraged to education through alternative methods. The number of students who leave each year remains constant, according to assistant principal Patricia Hurley. Roughly 47 students either left or lost touch with the school during the 2006 school year, according to the registrar.

According to Hurley, there is no specific criteria to determine a student's removal. She says that the administration monitors a group of students each year who share characteristics like a persistent pattern of poor attendance and multiple failures, who demonstrate potential for removal. Hurley also adds that the decision to remove a student is generally formed through consensus - a mutual resolution between the administration and the student. To her, consistently low-achieving students are "showing us through their behavior that they don't want to be here."

Losing grip

Outlaw's beginnings in high school gave no indication of the difficulties he would soon face. Entering Blair as a freshman, his future looked bright. A successful student throughout elementary and middle school, Outlaw dove into high school with enthusiasm, earning a 3.16 GPA in the first quarter of his freshman year. But, as his workload began to increase, he found himself overwhelmed by his everyday routine and the endless onslaught of homework, projects and tests. By semester break, Outlaw says he had completely lost interest in school.

He began skipping classes, often for weeks at a time. He intercepted letters that the administration sent home to inform his parents of his absences. Carefully maneuvering his way around the system, Outlaw managed to avoid getting caught even though by eleventh grade his GPA had slid from a 3.05 to a 1.16.

Although Outlaw says his expulsion jarred him, he was not entirely surprised by the verdict. He had already begun to face consequences for his behavior. Outlaw, who was on the step team, was not allowed to dance in one pep rally because of his poor grades. "They'd let me practice and everything, but just before we ran out to perform, they caught me," he says.

Eventually, after a teacher noted his attendance record, Outlaw's actions finally caught up with him. Two weeks before he would have graduated, he was expelled permanently. Though Outlaw looks back on the meeting with regret, what still haunts him most is the disappointment in his father's eyes. "That was the worst part," he says.

A variety of circumstances

Many, like senior Arel Lewis, have had similar experiences. Lewis says he found his classes "too fast-paced." Frustrated by his consistently poor grades, he often missed a month of school at a time. He was asked to leave in 2005.

Senior Dennis Thomas was also asked to leave in late 2005, although he says his difficulties originated from academic disinterest rather than any real struggle with his schoolwork. "School was a playground for me," he says. "I came to school to chill with my friends."

Thomas failed four of his classes and was removed in December. His ties with Blair, however, were not severed forever; he got a job at the Cold Stone Creamery in Silver Spring and then headed back to Blair in the evenings to complete night school.
Now, both Lewis and Thomas are back in school. By expressing a desire to continue with their educations, they illustrate the common practice of giving students who want to return to school a second chance. This also demonstrates that, unlike disciplinary expulsions, academic expulsions are more negotiable.

Thomas is glad to have another opportunity. Now, to make up for his missing credits, he goes to six classes at night school. "My plans are now to be on top of my grades," he says. "It's time for me to grow up and stop acting like a little boy."

Back on track

Outlaw found success through a different route. He received his General Equivalency Degree (GED) and enrolled in the Job Corps, an educational training program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of the Secretary, within nine months of leaving Blair. Still, he says that if he could have another shot at going to class, doing his work and succeeding in high school, he would. For now, he tries to encourage his brother Harvey, now a senior, to stay focused. If the TV is on for too long and his brother hasn't done his homework, Outlaw nags him to go study, he says.

Lewis says that he has also reevaluated his outlook and now realizes that the high school environment is the best place for him. He refuses to settle for anything less than everything that Blair has to offer. "I'm getting my high school diploma," he says emphatically. "I want to graduate. A high school diploma is a step towards what I want in life. Without one is a step back."

Sidebar
There are many opportunities for students who wish to pursue alternatives to high school.

1. The General Equivalency Degree (GED) may be obtained through five exams which measure reading, writing, social studies, mathematics and science up to a 12th-grade level. Passing the GED demonstrates an academic equivalency to high school graduates.
2. Night school, offered at most high schools offers high school credits this way by taking courses in the evenings.
3. Alternative high schools provide more specialized atmospheres for specific kinds of students.
4. The Job Corps, an educational training program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of the Secretary.