The mission of the Harrison County Youth Advocacy Center shall be to provide an alternative educational opportunity to at-risk children who have been referred to the Youth Advocacy Center facility by the traditional educational institutions in the local communities. It will also include a focus on developing positive behaviors thru skill acquisition and social learning.
The school mascot as determined by the students is the Phoenix. We believe all our students can rise above circumstances that have held them back and achieve their goals. We believe the Phoenix rising from the ashes is representative of the success our students will have.
The Harrison County Youth Advocacy Center is a community collaborative alternative to suspension, expulsion, and an alternative placement for TASC (formerly known as GED) students.
The Suspension and Expulsion programs are designed to offer students in grades seven through twelve a nontraditional approach to learning. Students recommended have not been successful in the traditional education setting. These programs will allow students to continue receiving credit for work from their home school. The goal of the Harrison County Youth Advocacy Center is to motivate students to return to their home school or to pursue an alternative route to educational or vocational success. This is achieved by screening and assessing whole health deficits and developing individualized goals that incorporate educational and community living needs.
A High School Equivalency Test program can be offered to students who are not successful in completion of their traditional classes at the high school level. These students are in danger of not meeting requirements for graduation.
Credit Recovery classes will be offered to students who are short credits due to failing a class. The Harrison County Youth Advocacy Center will offer students the opportunity to retake a failed course at their own pace.
The goal of Harrison County Youth Advocacy is to help students get back on track and meet graduation requirements. The Harrison County Youth Advocacy Center is a part of the Harrison County community at large and strives to give our students the tools to be model citizens.
Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports is an evidenced-based practice that is effective for students with social and educational deficits who benefit from mentoring adult relationships, motivational strategies, and skills acquisition to attain age-appropriate educational and vocational goals and meet the expectations of community behavior.
PBIS has been replicated successfully across the country with students who exhibit moderate need of behavioral supports. Students can learn appropriate behaviors thru instruction, practice, feedback, and encouragement. Interventions and individualized planning are data-driven.
Educational groups at the center focus around social-emotional learning (SEL). These groups teach and reinforce core skills correlated with academic, vocational and social success in the community.
The center also uses trauma-focused and restorative justice principles to address discipline issues with the student body.
In line with the mission of the Harrison County Youth Advocacy Center, students needing a higher or lower level of services will receive advocacy and assistance in meeting their individual needs.