Elk River — During public comment on Dec. 8, parent Beth Ebner urged the Elk River School Board to investigate and remedy what she described as a failure by district staff to coordinate educational services for her daughter placed in a mental‑health treatment facility in California.

Ebner told the board she and family members had emailed district staff — including Superintendent Olmos — and requested a meeting that included administrators and the school principal but received no response. "This lack of response ... violates Minnesota statute 24547 governing children's mental health services," Ebner said, and she also cited "Minnesota statute 120a.24" regarding compulsory instruction and the district’s obligation to ensure continuity of education for students temporarily placed out of state for treatment.

Ebner said the district initially told the family that online instruction could not be provided because coursework was designed for in‑class learning, and that the district later identified a specific Silicon Valley diploma program the family could purchase for approximately $3,000 per quarter for two classes — with no written assurance that credits would transfer back to the district upon the student's return. "Meaning, we get to hope and pay that it all works out," Ebner said, describing the cost and uncertainty while her daughter receives treatment.

She asked the board to investigate why statutory obligations and district policy were not followed, to strengthen relevant policies, and to ensure families receive timely communication and appropriate educational alternatives for students in treatment. Meeting time constraints ended her remarks; the transcript records no formal board response during the public‑comment window beyond thanking the speaker and moving on.

The board's superintendent and staff later summarized in the superintendent's report that internal budget adjustment work and administrative staffing changes are underway; the district did not provide on‑record corrective actions in response to Ebner's specific allegations during the meeting. Ebner's references to Minnesota statutes are reported as she stated them and were not cross‑verified in the meeting record.