"Going from Good to Great!"

School Environment

Data indicate that Santa Susana High School is a safe, respectful, supportive learning environment for students and staff. School crime data, discipline records and student and staff surveys confirm the belief that SSHS provides surroundings that promote the highest levels of personal and academic success.

Illustrated in the chart below is a pattern of school offenses for which students are suspended between 2002 and 2005. Data show that “crime” is not significant at Santa Susana High School, with the majority of suspensions resulting from fighting, drug use and defiance of authority (see peaks in chart below). Numbers have declined steadily over the last three years.

School Crime Data: 2002 – 2005
2002- first year data available (District Records) Standard of reporting for the district is expressed as a percentage number of incidents divided by ADA times number of school days

SSHS has a strong belief that students are accountable for their actions. Surveys indicate that a strong majority of the school community, including faculty and students, believes that students are dealt with fairly and consistently when students are given consequences for their actions. Multiple interventions for misbehavior are taken prior to suspension, which is treated a last resort. Data indicate that, although the suspension rate has fluctuated from year to year, there has been a drop over the last four years. Santa Susana believes this is, in part, due to the continued refinement of its school and academy structure and its newly implemented intervention programs. As one might expect, the rate of suspensions is higher among freshmen and sophomores than with juniors or seniors (as illustrated below).

Student Suspension Data – 2000-2005 (District Records)

Perception data obtained from faculty and student surveys indicate that both groups identify Santa Susana High School as a safe environment in which students are provided a relevant curriculum that promotes academic achievement. Among all questions asked, the three strongest student survey responses were that: 1) SSHS is a safe place to go to school; 2) the education they receive at SSHS is relevant to their future; and 3) faculty encourages academic achievement. In addition, an overwhelming majority of students and teachers agree that there is a friendly interaction among students (89% and 94% respectively). When asked if teachers and administrators interacted positively, the majority of students and teachers agreed (91% and 91%). Only five-percent (5%) of Santa Susana High School students disagreed with the statement that the staff treats students with respect.

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