Mt. Pleasant school board OKs Young House agreement

The Mt. Pleasant school board approved an agreement Monday evening to continue providing educational services to the Christamore Family Treatment Center in Mt. Pleasant.

The first part of the agreement states that the Mt. Pleasant Community School District will provide a special-education teacher for 187 days, textbooks and supplies needed to provide educational services to students.

The school district will make payments to Young House Family Services for two teachers and textbooks and supplies needed to provide instructional services to the students.

Young House will provide group supervision, skill development and anger management on the other side of things.

They will share progress and other educationally relevant information with the resident school district as needed.

Services are provided to each student in collaboration with service teams, and each student will receive an individualized Education Plan.

"When we have kiddos come into care, they still need all of those same tools that any other child needs," Executive Director Eric Schilling said. "One of those is to continue their education. Since the residential care facility is within the Mt. Pleasant school district, they provide the curriculum in which we turn around and provide to the students."

Kids will come from other counties, too, but deciding whether they come to the Christamore facility depends on the parents or the child's guardian.

"The number of kiddos ebbs and flows," Schilling said. "When the schools meet, they discuss their (individual education program’s) with the parents, teachers, the therapist, or whoever is involved in the IEP process. If they think this would be a good fit, then they afford them that opportunity."

Young House Family Services provides community-based support, whether it be counseling, substance abuse, or different therapies.

They provide programs through contractual relationships with the Department of Human Services and Juvenile Court for foster care services.

The Christamore Family Treatment Center is a residential care facility under Young House.

"We have kiddos from either side referred to us," Schilling said. "Either foster care services or Juvenile Court. That's the main avenue with that."

Schilling's goal is to get the kids back on track and provide them with the needs to succeed.

"My goal is that we would meet both the child and the parent or the family's where they're at," Schilling said. "We want to deliver what they need at the time they need it, for however long it is they need it. If the kiddo is getting what they need and back on track, our goal would be to get them back to whatever is right for them. I can't say what's right or wrong; everyone is an individual. We just want to help them the best we can."

Comments: hunter.moeller@southeastiowaunion.com