Montgomery County (Map, News) - Montgomery County's most emotionally troubled middle and high school students will enroll in mainstream schools or be recommended for placement in private programs next fall after the district announced Friday it will no longer operate an expensive full-day program for disturbed students.

School officials say the decision to close Rockville's Mark Twain program was based on declining enrollment and had nothing to do with the current budget crunch. The shut-down brings the district $1.3 million closer to closing a $50 million gap between its request and the county executive's proposal.

Although 78 students were enrolled in September 2007, the school system expected only 10 to be enrolled next fall, citing reasons such as graduation, incarceration, non-attendance, and 37 students who have withdrawn for undisclosed reasons.

"I just want a continuity of service" for the students, said Frances Irvin, principal of Mark Twain. "Some of these kids don't know yet just how fabulous they are."

Twenty-five teachers and 18 assistants will either transfer to a different program or lose their jobs.

Since the 1970s, Mark Twain has faced enormous struggles with performance, attendance, and stark disproportionality between races. While blacks make up 23 percent of the district's student population, they make up 58 percent of the students at Mark Twain, reflective of nationwide trends labeling more black students, especially boys, with emotional and behavioral disorders.

Mark Twain is also in "corrective action" under the No Child Left Behind law, meaning it is subject to stricter federal mandates due to a consistent inability to meet standardized test score requirements.

"Closing the school is, in the long term, in the kids' best interest," said Anthony Sims, a special education expert and a staff member at Mark Twain until 1996.

"But closing the school without a plan, or prematurely, without putting things in place for the community schools, is going to have a significant impact on those kids -- more than on the population at the schools receiving them," Sims said.

District officials said the school system is well-equipped to handle the reintegration of the troubled students, saying many of them will enroll in one of seven high schools with programs currently in place for less severe cases of emotional disorders.

FAST FACTS

Montgomery County High schools with special programs for "emotionally disturbed" students:

Clarksburg, Richard Montgomery, Northwest, Magruder, Northwood, Paint Branch and Whitman.

lfabel@dcexaminer.com