About
jjaep

JJAEP was established in 1987 under the state law that required counties with a population of over 100,000 to have an institution in place for students that are expelled from regular schools. Lubbock County Juvenile Justice Center has contracted with Lubbock Independent School District to operate the program on its behalf. Since its start, JJAEP has served over 600 students, averaging 110 cadets a year. Students are enrolled in the school for a minimum of 45 days, but may stay longer until they successfully complete the program. JJAEP staff includes a principal, six teachers, drill instructors, a counselor, and an on-sight juvenile probation officer, and it is equipped to educate all grade levels, including elementary.

JJAEP philosophy is to create a link between parents, educators, and the community, and to provide students with support necessary for a life-long learning path. The school provides the concepts and the exercises to foster understanding and proficiency in learned skills, which directly effects the assimilation of students into society upon release from the program. With an increased understanding of how and where they fit in, and how and why their families are on the same journey with them, the JJAEP graduates demonstrate a reduced rate of recidivism, both in expulsions and in criminal activity.

Many students, who are often a grade level or more behind in their education and have a truancy problem before enrollment in JJAEP, show significant improvement on their grades and abilities soon after entering the program and are able to recover their lost credits. This improvement became possible thanks to a lower student/teacher ratio, allowing for a more individualized assistance, highly structured classroom management and discipline, enabling students to have better focus, feel secure, and allow them to develop more self-discipline. The program’s structure also enables students to earn more privileges and rank among other students.

In order for a student to be dismissed from JJAEP and to return to a public school, he or she must be passing all classes and have no unexcused absences, pass a random drug test before they are considered for exit, and their parents must attend at least 8 hours of Parent Education classes provided by the school district at no cost to them. All students’ records are reviewed and discussed in order to determine their compliance with these four mandates before returning to public schools.