Board reviews out-of-district placements and Keys Academy program for students with substance concerns

District staff reviewed student-services agenda items, including several out-of-district placements and a recommendation to place students at Keys Academy, an alternative program serving high-school students with substance-use and related mental-health needs.

A district representative explained that some neighboring districts offer alternative-behavior programs the district does not provide; the administration therefore sends students to those programs when appropriate. Long Branch School District was cited as offering a program the district currently lacks, and the board was informed that placements sometimes occur when students are homeless or otherwise require an out-of-district placement.

Staff also discussed home instruction listings, staff assignment changes to cover class overloads at the middle school, and individualized program details for students placed in specialized programming. Regarding Keys Academy, staff described the program as serving students from multiple counties, emphasizing academic continuity alongside recovery supports; staff noted a peer-mentor component and credited the program with preventing student deaths, saying the focus is “saving life, one at a time.”

Board members asked clarifying questions about program operations and transportation; some public commenters raised concerns about students being moved between multiple buildings and the logistical burden on families when students attend programs in different locations and at different times of day.

The board’s student-services agenda also included an updated list of home instruction items, adjustments for staff overload pay and administrative stipends, and a report of a HIB (harassment, intimidation and bullying) report in Cambridge Park.