Fresno Unified’s Future Alternative Education School

Fresno Unified's Planned Campus Map for New Alternative School

CCEA Plus’s Jerry Abrica and Grant Thor were featured in an article about Fresno Unified’s unique plans for a new alternative school. You can read the full article here in GV Wire, written by Nancy Price.

According to the article, the upcoming school will be located at the site of the old Fresno County juvenile hall. The nearly 13-acre campus will feature a student union, an on-site library, and community spaces. Designed for students from Cambridge Continuation High School, J.E. Young Academic Center, and the eLearn Center, alternative education program plans include:

  • Classes throughout the day and evening.
  • Career technical education pathways, including distribution, warehousing, event management and hospitality.
  • Possible “dual enrollment” classes for high school students to take college-level courses.

Excerpts featuring Jerry and Grant:

But attitudes about alternative education have shifted as policymakers and educators realized that students, whose challenges may be social-emotional, financial, or even parenthood, can still thrive and prepare for college and career if they have the right support, said Jerry Abrica, president of the California Continuation Education Association Plus and a math teacher at Citrus High School in Porterville.

But with limited district resources, such programs are often “squeezed in” at existing facilities that might not have room for a library, or they wind up on the outskirts of town, Abrica said.

“That’s a signal to the kids, ‘I’m on the fringes, I’m an outsider,’ ” he said. “But when a school district decides to invest in this sector, it sends a strong message to the community, county, and state, that Fresno is interested in serving the entire student population.”

Grant Thor, CCEA Plus Northern California representative and principal of Washington Unified School District’s alternative education [program], said Fresno’s plan to combine several schools on one campus means programs and services can be available to more students in continuation education programs.

View the campus plans:
Video credit: Fresno Unified New Campus for Alternative Education from GV Wire




Source and Credits:

From the Article: “Take a Tour Through Fresno’s Planned $60M High School at Former ‘Hall of Shame’ Site”
Author: Nancy Price | Published in: GV Wire | Published: February 5, 2021 | Article link
Featured photo at top: Fresno Unified