Brookings board backs letter of intent for rural-health grant to create short-term alternative placement

The Brookings School District board approved a letter of intent to support a rural-health grant application aimed at creating a short-term, community-based alternative placement for students who need temporary removal from general education settings for behavioral or crisis interventions.

Superintendent Dr. Schultz said the grant would fund partnerships already forming in the community: behavioral-health services led by Brookings Behavioral Health, consultation and ABA expertise from clinician Heather Asmussen (formerly the district's special-education director), and daytime use of Boys & Girls Club facilities that are available during school hours. Landrieu School District and other regional partners would also be involved.

"We are going to tap into that facility in order to provide the placement during the school day because it is not occupied," Schultz said, adding that the plan emphasizes family involvement and in-community supports rather than sending students to distant placements. She said community health workers (Medicaid-reimbursable) and behavioral supports would aid transitions back to school.

The board approved the letter of support but acknowledged the program's parameters (length of "short-term" placements, intake goals and measurable transition objectives) remain to be defined during planning and, if awarded, during RFP implementation. Schultz emphasized the district might apply for multiple RFPs under the rural-health program and that partners will continue development even if grant funds are not secured.

What happens next: district staff and partners will refine program definitions, apply for eligible rural-health RFPs, and return to the board with more detailed proposals if funding opportunities advance.