Malcolm Shabazz High School Policies

Since 1971, Shabazz has been serving Madison. We are one of the oldest public alternative high schools in the United States. In these 30+ years, over one thousand young men and women have graduated from Malcolm Shabazz City High School. The students have seen many changes in our policies and our procedures. We continue to evolve - maintaining policies that fill the needs of our community, searching for better ways of meeting those needs and changing and refining the policies that no longer support our goals. This evolution continues to be the responsibility of the community - students, staff and parents. We have never found it necessary to have a lot of "rules" at our school, preferring to work with individuals in informal ways. However, we do recognize the need for mutually shared expectations. As the great Steve Stuckert has remarked on more than one occasion;

"Malcolm Shabazz City School is an alternative school, not an alternative to school."

Malcolm Shabazz City High School is an alternative to the "traditional" high school setting. Shabazz, as it is informally called, is located at 1601 N. Sherman Ave., Madison, WI. It is designed to accommodate 130 students, grades 9.5 through 12. The requirements for graduation from Malcolm Shabazz are the same as those for all the other Madison public high schools.

The school has an extremely diverse population of students, who come from any of the four high school attendance areas. Typically, 20-30% of the population represents students of color. More than 70% of our graduates choose to continue their education after high school. A good percentage of our students are considered "At Risk" having had some difficulties in the traditional high school environment.

The reason students attend Malcolm Shabazz are quite varied. A number of students do so because of the smaller physical environment. Our population is held around 130 and we maintain a waiting list. Others attend because of the strong support for sobriety that is provided. Some students come for a challenging, different, creative and alternative academic setting, often looking for a place to become engaged and involved in decisions about how and what they learn. Still others are at Shabazz because of the comfortable academic setting, the possibility of a caring education and the need for a fresh start.

There is a wide variety of social studies, English and science classes. The math curriculum has been individualized and students progress at their own rate from general math to trigonometry. Other classes include art, computer science, physical education, Spanish, English, Social Studies, Science and Drama.

Students can arrange to do an independent study and can sign up to earn work credit.

Extended field trip courses taught in the past include , studying wolves in Yellowstone, visiting the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., studying water issues in The Everglades, experiencing culture and music of New Orleans, living and working in Northern Mississippi, studying Indian reservations in South Dakota and Northern Wisconsin and studying ecology in the driftless area of WI. These classes provide enrichment experiences for students.

- Students are eligible to attend Shabazz at the beginning of 2nd semester of their freshman year.

They may begin the application process earlier.

Malcolm Shabazz has a number of policies designed to create a healthy school climate. Since Shabazz is an alternative high school program that students and their families choose to attend and they agree to follow the policies. Some of these policies include:

• Students are required to take 6 classes. They must earn one credit per quarter to stay off academic probation.
• The non-harassment policy must be respected by all students. It helps students and staff confront harassment, provides for mediation and conflict resolution, and if not respected, may lead to a student being dropped from the program.
• Students in violation of the alcohol and other drug policy are required to complete a drug and alcohol assessment and follow-through with recommendations. If a student violates this policy a second time, he/she will be dropped from the program. A staff appeal process is also written into the policy.
• All new students are required to take two courses: "Shabazz Experience " and "Mirror's of Discrimination". These courses are designed to help students become involved in the Shabazz program and focus on fighting discrimination and recognizing cultural diversity.
• Student who are receiving services in the community, such as individual or family therapy, alcohol or other drug treatment or aftercare and/or who have court orders, will be required to continue those services.

Malcolm Shabazz City High School was founded on the belief that the atmosphere in which you learn is as important as what you learn. To promote a productive learning environment we must encourage an atmosphere which is respectful of individual differences, so that people can learn in a functional and non-threatening atmosphere. We insist that disagreements be dealt with in a civil and respectful manner. Therefore, the following three actions are grounds upon which harassment may be filled.

A. Physical harassment or the threat of harm against individuals or their property. B. Verbal abuse, whether it attacks an individual personality or on the grounds of race, sex, sexual orientation, background, political or religious beliefs. C. Graffiti of the above nature.

Harassment is defined by the feelings of the listener/receiver of a message, not the intent of the sender. It is important that the listener respectfully notify the sender when they feel harassed.

New Shabazz Attendance Policy

All teachers will count participation in grading; and, if a student is absent or tardy, they aren’t participating, right?  Attendance is still very important.  Students are expected to attend school at least 90% of the time.  Students who do not attend school regularly will be placed on attendance probation.  Students who continue to miss school earn the right to return to their home school and have to leave Shabazz.

Attendance Probation:

• Students are expected to attend school at least 90% of the time.
• For attendance policy purposes, excused and unexcused absences are considered the same.
• Three tardies equal one absence. Suspensions count as absences.
• Absences due to a Field Trip (FT) will not count against a student’s attendance rate. 
• Each week students’ attendance rates will be posted outside of the office.  If a student falls below 90% attendance, a letter will be sent home to parents or guardians informing them of the attendance.
• At the end of the quarter, students who did not attend school 90% of the time will be put on attendance probation.  They will be assigned a staff member to support them and assist them in making positive changes to get off attendance probation.
• In order to get off of probation, students must maintain a 90% attendance rate for the next two quarters.
• If a student on attendance probation finishes either of the following two quarters with less than a 90% attendance rate, through their choices, have not meet the attendance requirements and will return to their home school.

Students at Shabazz are still subject to state truancy laws. 

Academic Probation

• Students must schedule and pass at least four academic classes each quarter.
• At the end of each quarter, students who didn’t earn one credit by passing four classes will be placed on academic probation.  This does not apply to seniors who have met all of their academic graduation requirements.
• Students on probation will be assigned a staff member to support them and assist them in making positive changes to get off of academic probation.
• Students on probation are not allowed to go on extended field trips or to take an independent study class in place of a regular class.
• To get off of academic probation, a student must pass four classes (or earn one credit) for the following two quarters.  Summer school and credits earned at another school may be counted.
• Students cannot count work credit, volunteer credit, or any credit earned through independent study classes toward satisfying probation requirements.
• If the student does not earn the one credit required in either quarter, they may be required to leave Shabazz.  The decision to drop a student is made by staff at a probation meeting held at the end of each quarter.
• Under unusual circumstances probation may be extended.  The decision to extend probation would be made by staff at the probation meeting.  Students who have their probation extended will remain on probation for the next two quarters.
• Students dropped from Shabazz because of academic probation must earn one credit at another school/program to be eligible to return to Shabazz.  A dropped student must reapply, and acceptance be agreed upon by staff and/or principal in order to return to Shabazz.

The AOD policy at Malcolm Shabazz City High School states that from the time the student gets up in he morning until they leave school, they will not use alcohol or other drugs. The policy further states that students who violate the policy must comply with the following consequences or risk being dropped from Shabazz.

A student, who is involved in an AOD incident, must cooperate with an AOD assessment and follow through with the recommendations of the assessment, or the student will be dropped from Shabazz.

Students participating in extended field trips are held to a higher standard.

Students violating the AOD policy on extended field trips, through their actions, will be dropped at the end of the quarter and expected to return to their home schools.

Students caught distributing, or selling illegal drugs or prescription drugs will be immediately suspended and then dropped. They will be subjected to consequences mandated by the MMSD policy.

Violations of the Shabazz AOD policy include, but are not limited to:

1. Coming to school or attending school sponsored activities under the influence of alcohol or other drugs
2. Using alcohol or other drugs on school grounds or at school sponsored activities
3. Possessing drug paraphernalia on school grounds or at school sponsored activities
4. Exchanging, buying, or possessing alcohol or other drugs on school grounds or a school sponsored activities

Other Consequences for violating the AOD policy are:

1. When a student is suspended for an AOD violation, a reentry meeting with the parent or guardian will be required
2. The police may be called if a student is in possession or under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.