Viceroy (Suspension Avoidance) Program
Starting in the 2024-2025 School Year, students will not be assigned Out-of-School or In-School Suspensions. Instead, they will attend the Viceroy Program as opposed to getting sent home or going to In-School Suspension for the assigned day(s). Having said this, there may be rare occasions when administration determines that an assignment is not appropriate, and an Out-of-School or In-School Suspension is assigned.

Why?
(1) not all students mind getting sent home and (2) the Viceroy Program will be designed to ensure that students stay on-top of school work; engage in a meaningful consequence; and reflect, learn, set goals, and leave with a behavior and/or safety plan.

What is a Viceroy?
Viceroy Butterflies are native to Michigan and transform into beautiful butterflies that look similar to Monarch Butterflies. We selected this name for the program, because the program is designed to support positive change.

Where will the program be located at?
The Viceroy Program will be located at Sturgis Central Commons (107 W. West Street), and students will attend for the days that they normally would be assigned an Out-of-School or In-School Suspension.

What will a student's day look like, should they attend the program?
Their day might include an Academic Block, Community Service Block, Reflection Block, Skill Building Block, Goal Setting Block, and Behavior/Safety Plan Creation Block.

How will the Skill Building Block work?
The Viceroy Program Teacher will coordinate with outside experts. For example, a student that struggles with regulation might work with a social worker, while a student that struggles with addiction might work with a substance abuse expert.

How many staff will be assigned to the program?
A teacher will lead the program alongside a mentor, and ancillary staff will float in to support Viceroy staff to ensure that there are no more than five students per staff member.

What else?
The lead teacher and mentor will be empowered to put systems and structures in-place that ensure success.