By Ally Kadlubar
Published: Jun. 10, 2024 at 7:16 AM CDT|Updated: 20 hours ago
WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Brazos High School, which offers credit recovery opportunities for students, will not be reopening in the Fall as students and programs will be merging with Waco and University high schools.
“I like to refer to Brazos as a safe haven for many students that have fallen short along the way in their high school journey,” Brazos High School Principal Daphanie Latchison said. “When they transfer to Brazos, we surround them with lots of love, lots of transparency, but we meet students where they are, and then we take them where they need to be.”
Students who attended Brazos High were credit deficient in at least 15 credits or did not meet state attendance requirements and were absent 10% of the required school days.
The focus of the Brazos High Knights was ‘knowledge,’ ‘noble,’ ‘intentional,’ ‘growth mindset,’ ‘hopeful,’ ‘teamwork,’ and ‘succeed.’ The goal of students and teachers was to help students focus on school and get their high school diplomas.
“Changing that trajectory of students and teaching them to pivot...” Latchison said.
She said around 100 students attended Brazos High School during the 2023-24 school year, and 95 graduated in May. More students are set to graduate at the end of the summer.
Now, students who are credit deficient will be attending Waco and University high schools.
Latchison said it will be a three-level program. The first level is an online learning period for students who are eight credits short of the requirement to graduate. The second level is also online for students who are nine to 14 credits short of the requirement.
Level three is more intense for students who are 15 or more credits short of the requirements. Now, these students will be placed in separate wings at Waco and University high school campuses, instead of Brazos High.
Levels one and two already existed at the high schools, but, now, the district is adding on level three to Waco and University high schools. She hopes this will benefit more students and help them receive their high school diplomas.
“They will be in a wing, but it will be more so inclusive,” she said. “To have an on-campus credit recovery program at a comprehensive high school, I think, can be very much a game changer because it’s bigger than Brazos at this point, and it’s designed to serve more students within Waco ISD.”
Latchison said the reason for the change is because of a decrease in enrollment at Brazos High School. She said the district started night school during the pandemic to provide another option for students who are severely credit deficient.
“Those are catered to students that are working all day because you know COVID has brought about a lot of changes within our families,” she said. “Some high school students had to go to work because parents have lost their jobs. Some high school students work two jobs, and, so, to actually have the opportunity of a night school at both Waco High and University.”
She said the night school option led to a decrease in enrollment at Brazos High School.
“Because of that, basically, it makes sense to close it fiscally,” Latchison said.
While Brazos High will not be located on Edna Ave., the district is expanding some of its programs on the campus.
The building will be transformed into an EOAC Early Head Start Program for teen parents to bring their child to during the day so they are able to focus on school during the day and graduate.
“You can register your baby here, drop your baby off here, and then we will meet you at Waco, University,” Latchison said. “So you can be in school and get your studies as well while your baby is in childcare...at no cost.”
The district will be able to expand the head start program to provide child care to more ages, a total of around 24 children ages 0-36 months. Then, the child will be able to attend Pre-K at Waco ISD schools.
The building will also continue to be used for the district’s adult special needs program. Transformation Waco will also move its vision center to the building to provide the service to the district.
Latchison has been the principal of Brazos High School for eight years, but she is looking forward to her new role at both campuses.
“I’ll be going from a principal role to the Director of Credit Recovery System for Waco ISD, which means that I will supervise and track with fidelity how credit recovery should operate on both campuses,” she said. “Basically, my plate has gotten a little bit bigger, but I’m a believer. I truly believe that I was planted here for a reason, and now my reason has grown, and that is to serve more students.”
She is excited to see students in Fall at Waco and University high schools.
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