Here’s the newsletter Elliot Gold put out from the Upside Down T Neighborhood Association. I couldn’t make it to the community meeting with Oak Knoll, so Elliot was kind enough to send this out. Looks like new school is really a program for troubled kids from elementary school age through high school. They will be bused in and out on a strict time schedule and the Oak Knoll campus, which is housed in the former Rhythms of the Village side of the old Edison Elementary School on Glenrose, is separated from NIA, the other school on the premises.
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Upside-Down T Neighborhood Meets Staff of Oak Knoll School: A Good Neighbor
About a dozen neighbors from the Upside-Down T sat down with the staff of the Oak Knoll School, situated on the Glenrose side of the Edison campus, on Saturday, September 20, 2008 to hear about the school, and to offer help from the neighborhood. The block club pointed out that we see Oak Knoll School as a neighbor, and as such, are ready to work with them.
As a result of the meeting, it appears that Oak Knoll is and will be a good neighbor, and is ready to work with the Upside-down T.
Oak Knoll School is a “program,” not really a school, set up to serve the needs of children of all grades with special educational (“special ed”) as well as general education needs. The school is designed to cater to an average of 48 students, and has the highest teacher to student ratio in the school district, with three teachers and staff members per classroom, with classrooms typically of no more than eight students.
Students from the first grade through the 12th grade come to Oak Knoll for an average of 18 to 24 months, coming out of individual homes, and not care facilities or group homes. Most come from Altadena and Southwest Pasadena, with a few from outlying areas of Pasadena. The students do have emotional and behavioral problems, and are unable to do well in the traditional classroom without assistance.
Oak Knoll has six classrooms, three for 1st through 6th graders, one for middle school (7th and 8th graders) and two for high school (9th through 12th grade). The teachers are all credentialed, and are all highly qualified in dealing with children with special needs.
The assistance comes to Oak Knoll through Assembly Bill 3632 (Interagency Responsibility for Related Services), or really mental health entitlement for special education students in California. While that legislation became law in 1984, Oak Knoll is apparently the only school in the state dedicated to delivering on the “entitlement” mandated by the bill. Formerly located on the premises of the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) administrative center, the school was relocated onto the Glenrose side of the Edison campus this Fall.
Gloria Clay, the school’s principal, has been working for decades with children who have needs as outlined under Assembly Bill 3632. “Our goal is to give the kids skills that will help them control their behavior and get them back into the regular [school] program,” said Ms. Clay. “This is a program, an intensive out patient program, but we think of it as a school.”
To deliver on that promise, students at Oak Knoll fall under a very rigorous set of rules. They are bused to the campus each day. They are served breakfast on arrival at 8:50 AM, and are bused home at the end of the school day at 3:30 PM. Monday and Tuesday, the school day ends earlier, again with the students being bused home.
Students are required to work with therapists for at least 60 minutes each day, receiving an additional 90 minutes of therapy for individual and family therapy per week.
The dozen Upside-Down T neighbors had a lot of questions, all of which were answered by Principal Gloria Clay and her staff. They were assisted at the meeting by Theresa Hawk, Executive Director of Special Education for the PUSD, and Superintendent Edwin Diaz.
Example questions and answers:
Are there students on the campus with violent backgrounds? Yes. Some of the students come from abusive home situations, and violence is the behavior pattern they have been exposed to. Part of the Oak Knoll program’s purpose is to teach the students ways to cope with their emotions and help break the cycle of violence.
How are the students contained? The campus is locked down after the students arrive, and they are escorted onto the buses when the school day ends.
How do we in the Upside-down T recognize students from Oak Knoll? The school is enforcing a uniform dress code, which will differentiate their students from those at Nia Charter School, located next door.
If the campus is locked down, how do we as neighbors or parents visit the campus? The gate on the West side, on Glenrose (with a sign saying “Oak Knoll”) is unlocked. Visitors can enter the campus by walking on the sidewalk up to the building, and then turning south (right) and walking down about three doors to the one that says “Office.” All visitors must check in at the office before going anywhere else on the school grounds.
Does the school have recreational outlets? Yes, there is a specific time for physical education and for recreation, all with supervision.
Is there any intermingling between the students at Oak Knoll and Nia? No. The campuses are separated by a fence which has an opaque tarp providing visual separation.
If Nia grows, will they “encroach” on Oak Knoll? No. Nia will not be permitted to use the buildings on Glenrose.
Can the neighbors on the Upside-down T help? Absolutely…. give us some ideas, of how you can help, and let’s do it!
April 9, 2009 at 5:25 am
This is a letter at large regarding the congestion and potential hazards of the current lingering schedule, program, and the impact on the community due to the relocation in the Glenrose portion of what was known as Edison Elementary. Please note that this applies to the scheduling and not the Pasadena employee or student body as a whole.
I am a concerned community member due to the fact the roads have become clogged with busses I feel I must voice my concern.
1. The busses are creating a lengthy nuisance in the morning and afternoon. Having been at a few events,
2.I was surprised for my friend with his walker due to the stairs between levels which hampered the assistance available to those with similar and other handicapping conditions. For example how is the locking of the campus done under ADA?
3. ( Back to schedule)- If the program is NOT a school, could services be made available to students, families, and others outside of the busy school times. For example- when I inquired for a relative of this program the hours were far more acceptable than they now seem. ( i.e. 8:50am-2:45pm) My recollection was the program was completed daily prior to 3:00pm. These hours seemed like a good proposal and strategy to assist our youth while aiding the community.
4. There was a great deal of anticipation over who might be in the neighborhood…With these hours, I was in favor of this program over Rose City.
After much thought friends and I spoke of solutions they have seen work. Ideally, I feel for our neighborhood it would be best to have the busses complete routes so there will be time for safe neighborhood play with good visability.
5. By the way, Monday is delightful and we plan our children’s Parent & Me dates on this day to safely play and take walks to “reconnect with friends.” I am not sure why this is so different, but it is so much better on Mondays. The busses are earlier, but why can’t it be every day?
I am writing so that simple issues do not become major or overlooked solvable issues. The community recognizes the importance of Oak Knoll. There is a need for this program in the area.
As a PhD educator who visited the former site on Oak Knoll, I find that there exists a lack of supervision from 3:30-4:00 or 4:15pm. What has become of the busses since Edison left? There is zero consistency re: timing, busses park in wait South of the site for 30-50 min.
I can think of no reason for this waiting unless the bus-drivers are adding or padding their hours. As a taxpayer, that does raise my eyebrows.
I bought in the area before this site was so designated–Special Ed for troubled Youth– since then there has been an overall decline in the “neighborhood feeling.”
This was an area where people walked dogs, played in the yards, and were generally interactive. This change in activities is not all due to the economy.
Also, I was walking my dog and saw a group of students waiting for their bus in the pm. When I called to report this dilemma, ther was no one monitoring the phone.
Please help restore the neighborhood.
The entire site on Glenrose looks so much better. Prior to Oak Knoll moving in, there was a lack of pride. It was only the broken sign remaining of that era. The grounds could described as parklike.
A Concerned Neighbor