LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lincoln officials say a longtime after-school program is helping suspended students change their behavior and keep up with schoolwork.

Nearly 80 students participated in the Alternative Suspension Program, a pilot project with two high schools and two middle schools that Lighthouse hopes to see continue.

“This is the biggest no-brainer partnership,” said Bill Michener, Lighthouse executive director. “We learned a ton and we know it’s beneficial. We want kids to be successful. Like Lincoln Public Schools, we want them to graduate.”

Lincoln High School has been working to reduce out-of-school suspensions, which last up to five days and can be a hardship on working parents. Michener said students who are suspended often fall farther behind and become more alienated from school.

Lincoln High and Lighthouse worked together with some students in 2015-16 and expanded the program last year to include Southeast High and Lefler and Irving middle schools.

“We found it worked pretty well,” said Jason Shanahan, Irving principal. “While out-of-school suspensions are sometimes necessary, they are not a successful behavior intervention — they don’t solve their problem.”

Nearly half of students who participated in the Lighthouse program came from Irving, where the school’s number of out-of-school suspensions hit a four-year low last year, at 107.

Lighthouse offers a “restorative justice” option that helps each student tell their story, understand who their actions harmed and learn how to keep it from happening again.

“We are all about building relationships,” said Pete Allman, founder and board president of the program. “Nothing can happen unless you have a positive relationship.”