79th Street School located in Shreveport, Louisiana has very unique interesting history to it. It started off as a store, an office building, an elementary, and then an alternative school. Caddo Parish School Board operated this school for 20 years before closing. Read about the unique and interesting concept of School Away from School in this news article.
The school building itself was built in 1955 as a single story 14,080 square foot building on 2.17 acres worth of land. The building was built as a single story masonry building, set on a standard concrete foundations and a concrete slab. Both its interiors walls and exterior walls were constructed of concrete masonry unit blocks with a brick veneer. The exterior doors are a combination of either wood or steel units and are set on either wood or steel frames.
This building was used as store, an office building, and a storage unit before being converted into a school.
Caddo Parish School Board purchased the building and converted into a school in 1977. 79th Street School was in operation as a public school from 1977 to 1992. From 1977 to 1982 is when 79th Street School operated as an elementary school.
In 1982, Caddo Parish School Board repurposed 79th Street School into an alternative school called School Away from School. This alternative school was set up as an alternative learning center operated by the school district.
The School Away from School took in students with disciplinary problems, special needs, behavioral problems, and attendance problems. These Caddo Parish students cannot make the grade or attend classes in regular school because of disciplinary and or behavioral problems. It served as a last chance for some students.
One of the first things you would see when you walked through the door at School Away from School was a bright yellow poster that reads: "School skippers are losers. Be a winner." The poster says a lot about the school and serves as a reminder to some of the students about why they were there. Administration, staff, and the students felt that the school served a worthwhile purpose.
Like most schools, this school also has some discipline problems, such as fighting and use of vulgarity. Students who do well at the school return to their regular school either at midterm or the end of the year. For those who remain at School Away from School, grades and earned credits are recorded on the student's transcript in the home school. Graduating students receive diplomas from their home school. (Ref: Shreveport Times, School Away from School)
As cited in the Shreveport Times,
“The students would determine their own daily time schedule and rate of work. Every hour the students were given 10-minute breaks in which they are permitted to smoke, relax and use the vending machines. Much of the school's success can be attributed to this flexibility and freedom. Students like the system and are particularly pleased with the individual attention they receive.”
The setting for School Away from School is as far removed from regular school as is the student. There are no traditional classrooms, no desks in a row, no tardy bells and no study periods. Teachers do not stand before the class and give lectures. Instead, the teachers sit in sections modular units divided by subject and work with the students on an individual basis. The students sit at tables or study cubicles and are free to move about. They work individually and at their own pace on a variety of instructional materials. Students attend one hour of class for each subject they take and attend either the morning or afternoon sessions. The school offered 24 subjects in the area.
The remaining 26% percent are students with a wide range of problems. These include potential dropouts who would otherwise quit school, pregnant girls who want to continue their education, dropouts who wants another chance, students who need to work but still want to graduate and students who might need only one credit to complete their education.
Most of the cases are discipline problems. 75% percent of the students who attend School Away from School do so because of discipline or behavior reasons according to Principal J.B. Harville.”
(Ref: Shreveport Times, Page 33, December 11, 1983)
“To attend School Away from School a student must have been enrolled in regular school and had some sort of problem there. The student is referred to the school by application, which the principal of the regular school and the parent must sign. At the time of enrollment, the student signs a contract with the school, pledging that he will attend classes, make progress and present no discipline problems. Any student who breaks the contract may be dropped from the program.”
(Ref: Caddo Parish School Board AEP handbook)
In 1986 during the 1986-1987 school year, School Away from School was renamed to J. B. Harville which was simply known as Harville School to Shreveport natives. The school would be referred to this name until closing.
1992 is the year when the school closed. It students were sent back to their former schools after this alternative school had closed.
Caddo Parish School Board advertised the school to be up for sale in the Shreveport Times newspaper in July, 2 1993. The school district would sell the school property to whatever lender on 5 year lease. (Ref: Shreveport Times, Page 31, Friday, July 2, 1993)
Here is a reference of the advertisement,
“July 2, 1993 FOR LEASE BID NO: 71L-93 BID TITLE: LEASE OF 103 EAST 79th STREET TO BE OPENED: 10:00 A.M., TUESDAY, JULY 13, 1993 Sealed bids to acquire the following described five year lease will be received In the Purchasing Office of the Caddo Parish School Board until 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, July 13, 1993, at which time bids win be opened and publicly read aloud. Late bids cannot be accepted. ALL BIDS MUST BE SENT VIA U. S. MAIL OR HAND DELIVERED The sealed envelope containing the bid shall be marked: LEASE - 103 East 79th Street Lots 561, 562, 563, 564, 565, 566, 577, 576, 579.”
(Ref: Shreveport Times, Page 31, Friday, July 2, 1993)
(Ref: Shreveport Times, Page 31, Saturday, July 3, 1993)
By 1997, Harville School aka 79th Street School was already abandoned and vacant for the most part. Everything salvageable was taken out of the building in 1998.
The Department of Environmental Quality ruled that all items in that school would have to be considered as asbestos-containing material and a complete demolition project would have to be done as an abatement job which is extremely expensive in 2016. Prior to any demolition, all asbestos-containing material must be removed. The complication with the 79th Street School property is that it is two connected buildings, one in which the roof collapsed into the structure allowing moisture resulting in additional environmental issues, mold and asbestos. The problem with 79th Street School is asbestos. (Ref; Shreveport Times, Page B9, Wednesday, March 9 2016)
Today as of 2018, the 79th Street School is now vacant and abandoned. A majority of the building has deteriorated over time and has been damaged by vandalism. The ceilings are in poor condition and damaged by rain weather. The roof has numerous leaks throughout the building. This school deteriorated beyond repair.
Now the School Away from School Program takes in youths with disciplinary problems, special needs, and attendance problems. It still is in operation by Caddo Parish School Board for Shreveport public schools.
79th Street School is located at 103 East 79th Street, Shreveport, Louisiana, US 71106.
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