LOCAL SCHOOLS ARE NO LONGER CONSIDERED 'DANGEROUS'

Eagle Point and Medford Opportunity high schools were among 13 schools
statewide removed from the state's watch list for schools with a high
ratio of student expulsions for drug, weapon or violence-related crimes.

The schools were added last year to the "persistently dangerous" watch
list, which is maintained by the Oregon Department of Education under
safety provisions of the Bush administration's No Child Left Behind
Act. The change means no Jackson County schools are on the "dangerous" list.

"We actually didn't have any expulsions at Opportunity High School last
year (2005-06)," said Doug Jantzi, Medford schools secondary education
director. "There was a glitch in our computer system that coded
the expulsions at North Medford High as being at Opportunity High School."

"We caught the mistake, but by that time, ODE had already published its
data and didn't want to change it, so we had to live with it."

Officials at Eagle Point School District could not immediately be reached
for comment.

However, last year, Eagle Point High School officials said they had
enhanced security at the campus by adding a police officer, doubling
camera surveillance and adding disciplinarians at the middle schools.

Schools join the watch list when they have one or more expulsions per 100
students for manufacture or delivery of drugs, weapon possession, violent
behavior, assault and sexual crimes involving force. Once on the
list, they must submit a plan to the state for improving safety.

The "persistently dangerous" label is given to schools that stay on the
watch list for three consecutive years, and it means that students have
the option of transferring to another school in the area with the school
district paying for any associated transportation costs.

Only one school in the state -- McKay High School in Salem -- has been
named "persistently dangerous" this year.

A dozen schools are on the watch list this year.

Some school officials have complained that the watch list is unfair to
schools that accurately report the number of expulsions for violence and
drug-related crimes as well as to small schools, where a few offenses can
land a school on the list.

In 2005-06, five to six expulsions were attributed to Medford Opportunity
that actually belonged to North Medford High School, Jantzi said. With
about 230 pupils in the Medford Opportunity, five to six expulsions
put the school on the watch list, he noted. North Medford by contrast has
more than 1,800 pupils.

Other schools on the watch list are: North Salem High School,
Salem-Keizer; Renaissance Arts Academy, Portland; Five Oaks Middle School,
Beaverton; Pilot Butte Middle School, Bend-La Pine; Alliance High School,
Portland; BizTech High School, Portland; Gregory Heights Middle School,
Portland; Houck Middle School, Salem-Keizer; Judson Middle
School, Salem-Keizer; Leslie Middle School, Salem-Keizer; Structured
Learning Center, Salem-Keizer; Hidden Valley High School, Three
Rivers-Josephine County.

Schools removed from the watch list are: Eagle Point High School; Medford
Opportunity High School on the North Medford High School campus; Jefferson
County Middle School; Brizner Junior High School, Klamath County;
Chiloquin High School, Klamath County; Ontario High School, Ontario;
Tubman Middle School, Portland; Parrish Middle School, Salem-Keizer; South
Salem High School, Salem-Keizer; McNary High School,
Salem-Keizer; Columbia County Education Campus, St. Helens; North Valley
High School, Three Rivers-Josephine County; Illinois Valley High School,
Three Rivers-Josephine County.