The Rapid City Area School District is preparing for a new law that will attempt to keep hundreds of students in school who might otherwise drop out, straining resources at an already tight time for schools.

The law, which goes into effect in July 2009, holds parents responsible for their children being in school until they are 18 or they graduate. Currently, students can drop out at 16.

District leaders say they are preparing by working with parents to keep students from going down the path of dropping out and creating other opportunities for students to learn besides the traditional classroom, where they might not have been successful so far.

Supporters say the law will give students a better chance at the diploma they need to get most jobs, but others say the would-be dropouts will crowd already packed schools.

Central High School student Lorena Reichert, 17, said it will change the atmosphere of the classroom and take a toll on students who want to be in class.

"I think it sounds good on paper," she said, but added, "You can't force kids to come. … It's a waste of taxpayers' money."

Stevens High School Principal John Julius said the district has gone out of its way in the past, and particularly in preparation of the new law, to provide opportunities for students to get an education in a nontraditional setting.

He listed the Career Learning Center, Jefferson Academy, 9th and 10th Grade Academies, the Oyate Center and the pilot program of a new virtual high school as other options for students.

"We want all students to earn a diploma and get the value of an education regardless of their path after high school," he said.

Julius said the community and district have worked hand in hand to help alleviate the problem of truancy through such programs as ACT - Abolish Chronic Truancy - which encourages parents, students, school officials and community members to band together to help solve truancy problems. Working on attendance when students are in elementary and middle schools can help curb a problem later on, he said.

The district is also working with Western Dakota Technical Institute on aspects of a technical high school and piloting a welding class opportunity for students.

"The idea behind the technical high school is that might be the carrot that keeps the students interested in pursuing education because they can attach meaning to it," he said.

The dropout rate for Stevens High School for the 2006-07 year was 1.65 percent, according to Julius, which was 26 students out of a total enrollment of 1,520. The dropout rate for Central High School in 2006-07 was 11.5 percent, according to its principal, with 254 students out of 2,207 dropping out.

The law says parents are responsible for getting their children to school between the ages of 6 and 18. Any parent found in violation of the law is guilty of a class 2 misdemeanor for the first offense, and for each subsequent offense, is guilty of a class 1 misdemeanor.

The law simply extends rules that are already in place for younger students to 16- and 17-year-olds, and schools said they will handle the older truant students with practices already in place. A truant officer works with the families of truant students to bring the children back to school, involving the court system only when other efforts don't work.

Julius said they don't like it to get that far.

"We communicate with parents via phone, meetings and letters when we see students' attendance affecting academic performance," he said. "We try to be proactive before it gets to level that the court system has to get involved."

Parent involvement is part of the framework of support students need, Julius said.

"I think there can be a variety of things happening to reach out to these students and work with them, so there isn't this large thing to deal with when the law goes into place," he said.

Trevor Mills, 17, a Central High School student, said he has seen firsthand what happens when parents aren't involved.

"I have a buddy that his parents don't care what his grades are, so he doesn't go to class," he said. "Now, he can't play on the baseball team because he doesn't have good grades."

Mills thinks the new law is a good idea because it will keep more kids in school. He hasn't thought of dropping out "because my Mom would disown me," he said, laughing.

Renee Peterson, the adult-education coordinator at the Career Learning Center of the Black Hills, said she anticipates a ripple effect, particularly at the local high schools that are already overcrowded.

"This is going to have a big impact on schools," she said. "I just don't know where they're going to find room."

The center provides a variety of services, including preparation for the General Educational Development diploma-equivalency test, English as a Second Language classes and career training.

Peterson worries that the law might determine whom the center can serve. Currently, it serves about 500 students a year, and the average age is 21.

"There's not a lot, but we do have some 16-, 17- and 18-year-olds," she said.

Students can earn a GED at the center, but Peterson said she isn't sure if students younger than 18 will be allowed to attend the center and have it count as attending high school under the new law.

"We're not really sure how the law will affect us," she said. "There is a possibility we won't be able to serve students under the age of 18."

If that's the case, she is concerned that students who have been in the court system will not feel comfortable returning to a traditional high school.

"Teenagers are so self-conscious," she said. "It's difficult to transition back into school."

And it's especially hard for students who have fallen behind and might be put into a class that doesn't match with their age.

"If you're 17 and in with 14-year-olds, it makes you feel bad," she said. "You don't want to be 20 and in high school. A lot of people get discouraged and give up."

She is hoping for the best.

"We think the Legislature and school district will see that people need another choice and that we'll be able to serve youth 16 and up," she said.

The community shouldn't be discouraged with the challenges the district faces with the new law, said Jim Ghents, the school district's director of curriculum, assessment, instruction and gifted-education services.

"We're trying to create opportunities for students to be successful," he said. "I don't look at it as a problem, but as opportunity."

He said the district will have to do more brainstorming on different avenues that students can take to earn a degree.

"Some students, for one reason or another, were drawn away from the school process," he said. "The tack we're taking is that we understand that we have the traditional settings still in place; we also have the alternative program, and we're trying to expand into some more nontraditional areas. We want to bring them back in and give them meaningful experiences."

Peterson at the Career Learning Center said it is important to remember that alternatives mean just that.

"We always think it's good for people to stay in school," she said. "That's always everyone's first, best choice."

Contact Kayla Gahagan at 394-8410 or at kayla.gahagan@rapidcityjournal.com.