High School for Law and Justice
29°45′53″N 95°24′30″W / 29.7647°N 95.4083°W
High School for Law and Justice (HSLJ), formerly the High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice (LE/CJ in short), is a high school located in Houston, Texas, United States. The school serves grades 9 through 12 and is a part of the Houston Independent School District.
HSLJ is an all-magnet high school that has Houston ISD's magnet program for law enforcement and criminal justice. Children from surrounding neighborhoods are not automatically eligible for HSLJ; pupils in the surrounding area are zoned to Reagan High School. Prospective students are required to take a test for admission.
During the students enrollment at HSLJ he/she will be subjected to various classes that teach him/her how to operate in either the Law Enforcement or Criminal Justice fields.
In 2014 the HISD board voted to rename the school the High School for Law and Justice.[1] This was effective in 2016.
The school is on an 11-acre (4.5 ha) property.[2]
History
Houston ISD, the Houston Police Department, and the Mayor's Office cooperated to establish the law enforcement program on three separate campuses. By 1980 the district decided to consolidate the program to one campus.[3] HSLECJ opened on Monday, January 19, 1981 in the former George Washington School building. It became the first law enforcement special curricula high school in the United States.[4]
In 2012 an item to rename the school "High School for Law and Justice" was removed from the HISD board agenda.[5] In the northern hemisphere fall of 2012 the HSLECJ campus had an estimated value of $26 million.[6]
As of July 2013 St. Thomas High School and the investment group AV Dickson Street were engaged in a dispute over the acquisition of the HSLECJ property.[7] On Thursday July 18, 2013 the HISD board rejected both requests. David Thompson, the HISD board attorney, stated that both bidders violated the district's code of silence policy.[8]
On October 15, 2013, Elk Mountain Ltd. made a cash bid of $47,927,114,[9] while St. Thomas had made a bid of $45 million.[6] In November 2013 St. Thomas offered $60 million for the campus.[2] The final deadline for bids was November 1, 2013. Gary Hansel, the HISD real estate manager, stated that he did not know if Elk Mountain and AV Dickson Street were the same group, but that they shared a broker.[9]
A new HSLECJ is being built to replace the current campus.[9] It will be built near the intersection of Coyle and Scott.[10] It is scheduled to open in 2016, when the name change will take effect.[11]
Location
HSLJ is located on an 11-acre (4.5 ha) property at the intersection of Shepherd Road and Memorial Drive, adjacent to St. Thomas High School, a private Roman Catholic high school.[7] St. Thomas has bought the current location of HSLJ.
Demographics
In 2012 the school had 710 students.[7]
School uniform
HS L.E.C.J. requires school uniforms.[12] School requires the wear of navy, black, grey, or white polo shirt with school insignia, and navy or black trousers, they may also wear blue jeans all week long. On Fridays, students are permitted to wear a Friday shirt (such as club shirts and class shirts).
In 2007 principal Carol Mosteit said that the uniforms were intended for students to, in the words of Sarah Viren of the Houston Chronicle, "look the part" for law enforcement jobs that the students may take in the future.[13]
Clubs
Anime Club
JROTC
Explorers
Alma Latina
Adventurer Club
Business Professionals of America (BPA)
Salsa Club
National Honor Society (NHS)
Debate
Notable alumni
- Analia Wilkerson - Judge in Harris County Criminal Court Number 9[14]
References
- ^ "HISD Board of Education approves renaming of High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice." Houston Independent School District. August 14, 2014.
- ^ a b Mulvaney, Erin. "St. Thomas offers $60 million for Houston ISD building for sale." Houston Chronicle. November 1, 2013. Retrieved on November 5, 2013.
- ^ "School Histories: the Stories Behind the Names Archived 2011-05-22 at WebCite." Houston Independent School District. Accessed September 24, 2008.
- ^ Stancill, Nancy (January 21, 1981). "HISD is first in opening law enforcement School" (PDF). Houston Chronicle. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-05-25. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
- ^ "MAY 10, 2012 SCHOOL BOARD MEETING." (Archive) Houston Independent School District. 3 of 6. Retrieved on June 14, 2012.
- ^ a b Daugherty, Deon. "HISD board weighing bids for law enforcement school property." Houston Business Journal. October 17, 2013. Retrieved on November 5, 2013.
- ^ a b c Willey, Jessica. "Old HISD building center of property fight." (Archive) KTRK-TV. Tuesday July 16, 2013. Retrieved on July 18, 2013.
- ^ Mellon, Ericka. "HISD board rejects both bids for high school property." Houston Chronicle. July 18, 2013. Retrieved on July 18, 2013.
- ^ a b c "Final bid for Law Enforcement HS set for Nov. 1." (Archive) The Leader. October 24, 2013. Retrieved on November 5, 2013.
- ^ "HISD completes land purchase for new law and justice school" (Archive). KTRK-TV. Wednesday March 11, 2015. Retrieved on November 21, 2015.
- ^ "Law, justice high school goes through changes." Houston Defender. August 18, 2014. Retrieved on December 7, 2015.
- ^ "DRESS CODE / GROOMING Archived 2010-05-10 at the Wayback Machine." High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice.
- ^ Viren, Sarah. "Demographics may dictate uniformity." Houston Chronicle. Monday September 3, 2007. A1. Retrieved on May 13, 2010.
- ^ "Distinguished HISD Alumni Archived 2012-05-15 at the Wayback Machine." Houston Independent School District. Accessed October 11, 2008.
Further reading
- "Old HISD building center of property fight." KTRK-TV (video)
- "Thursday letters: Rising interest in this school ..." Houston Chronicle. July 17, 2013.