| Calvin A. Hunsinger School |
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Overview |
All of the students attending Calvin A. Hunsinger School have been identified as requiring exceptional student education services in the program for Emotional Behavior Disorder (EBD). Our program serves students at the elementary, middle and high school levels in kindergarten through grade twelve. Physical education, music and art instruction are important elements of our instructional program. In addition to services provided by the EBD program, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech and language therapy services are offered.
Currently, our student population is approximately 130. The percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced lunch is 75%. Our program includes four full-time social workers, four Behavior Specialists, a nurse and psychologist. Our reintegration specialist works to provide various opportunities for Hunsinger students to move into general education and community settings. Our middle and high school students can participate in activities such as indistrial arts. High School students also can participate in community based instruction (CBI).
Calvin Hunsinger has a large and diverse staff of 83 instructional and support personnel. Several unique programs have been developed to serve the needs of our special population. Middle school students needing non-traditional academic programming can participate in Project Ride, a hands-on equine care program.
We currently have Read 180 programs at the middle school and high school levels. This unique reading program is geared toward underachieving students and has been successful in improving students’ reading levels. Students also utilize “Tune Into Reading” and Destination Reading and Math. We have made great progress in the development of our computer network, and every classroom in the building is wired for access to the internet through both a wired and wireless infrastructure.
Calvin Hunsinger School has an established reintegration program to transition students from the center setting back to general education environments. Our Reintegration Specialist arranges initial visits to the reintegration school and coordinates transportation, scheduling, parent contacts and any other special needs. Following successful reintegration, students are usually dismissed from the EBD program.
Since the 1997-98 school year, the percentage of our students participating in the district testing program has steadily increased. This initiative has involved training for both teachers and students, and has been coordinated by our Curriculum Specialist. In addition, our instructional materials are carefully selected to match materials used in general education classrooms throughout Pinellas County.
Students come to Calvin Hunsinger from northern Pinellas County. Currently, 12 buses transport our students daily. Our students reside in a geographic area of approximately 200 square miles and come to us from 50 feeder schools.
Due to the fact that many of our families live a significant distance from the school, parent involvement has been limited. However, we do have a number of key community partnerships such as :
- Clearwater Civitan
- Clearwater Optimists
- Dunedin Kiwanis
- St. Pete Breakfast Optimists
Key customer requirements come from the state of Florida and the Pinellas County School District articulated through the Sunshine State Standards and the Pinellas County Schools Student Expectations. A “Voice of the Customer” survey conducted for the past three years has identified several parent/student requirements. Parents voiced the following needs:
• Need for their children to learn behavioral controls
• Need for their children to learn academic skills that will enable them to return to general education environments
• Need for a safe learning environment for their children
These customer requirements form the basis of our continual effort toward school improvement.
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