Students must pass through halls in a single line, to the right, with hands in their pockets. Book bags and purses are not allowed. Neither is jewelry or makeup. Uniforms are required. Students must walk through metal detectors and submit to a pat-down.
Infractions spur detentions and calls to parents.
They can be expelled from CEP for serious violations, such as weapons possession. The school district grapples with serious discipline problems each year. About 1,200 students return from incarceration to the 210,000-student district annually. Last school year, officials confiscated 1,196 weapons, ranging from penknives to guns, on school property. At CEP, students said it was easier to focus on learning because of the tighter structure.