He added that truancy is never a factor - the opportunity centers do not deal with that. Some students are on house arrest. But not at school. Lawhon said students at the opportunity centers are supervised so closely that even the rowdiest troublemaker doesn't find much opportunity for mischief. They don't wander about the school on their own, he said, and are watched - even between classes.
Classes are small, and students get concentrated, individual attention from teachers.
If the behavior problems are not corrected, a student might stay a year or more. When students return to their regular schools, Lawhon sends questionnaires to check on their progress. Lawhon said some infractions that land children in opportunity centers are minor, the result of a zero-tolerance enforcement of school rules. In particular he recalls a young girl who was referred to Woods because she had been caught with a butter knife in her purse. Lawhon said he sees hope in even those youngsters convicted of serious offenses.