The Career Opportunities to Protect and Serve Pathway (C.O.P.S.) at Bloomington High School is one of nine Linked Learning Pathways in the Colton Joint Unified School District and seeks to prepare students for careers in law enforcement or related fields.
The C.O.P.S. Academy, which has an enrollment of about 130 students, is just one of the many career exploration opportunities the Colton Joint Unified School Districts offers students. In addition to the Linked Learning Pathways -- which integrate aspects of designated career pathways into all academic courses taken by students enrolled in that pathway -- CJUSD also offers 23 Career Technical Education course sequences in a vast selection of fields. Examples include cyber security, an automotive program, and the new STEAM (Science, Technology, Art and Mathematics) shop. These opportunities are offered in partnership with the Colton, Redlands and Yucaipa Regional Occupational Program (CRYROP).
The C.O.P.S. pathway is designed to prepare students for law enforcement careers. “However, with that being said, we do have students who are interested in other aspects of law, such as being attorneys, noted BHS C.O.P.S. lead teacher Marc Howard. “We have also had a number of students who want to pursue careers in Homeland Security, the FBI, and as police dispatchers or court reporters. Even though our pathway is geared toward law enforcement, it also gives students interested in related fields a knowledge base that will give them a leg up on the competition in the future.”
Community partnerships are key to the academy’s success. The C.O.P.S. Academy has partnered with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department to help students to smoothly transition from high school graduation to acceptance into the Sheriff’s Academy. C.O.P.S. also offers real-world experiences for students to inspire them for the future. For example, freshmen in the program recently went on an all-day tour of the San Bernardino County Superior Courthouse.
“I like the field trips,” noted Alissa Lobo, 15, who hopes to become an attorney.
“The Pathway is very detailed and it gives me insight into the job I want to do in the future,” added student Hailey Azucena, 14, who wants to become a sheriff’s deputy. “It really prepares us. It’s very informational.”