Local school district and child-assessment center report services and needs to Oscoda County commissioners

At the Dec. 16 Oscoda County Board meeting, Mr. Shawn Petri, superintendent of the C.O.O.R. Intermediate School District, described services the district provides to Oscoda County including instructional services and professional development for teachers and paraeducators, special education, early childhood programs and career and technical education. Petri said more than 200 students benefit from these programs and noted that restricting student cell-phone use in multiple districts has been associated with improved communication skills.

Ms. Rebecca Yuncker, executive director of the Northern Michigan Children's Assessment Center, updated the board on the center's work and resources. Yuncker said the center has added a support dog in training named Eloise, reported roughly a 12% increase in child sexual abuse-related statistics, and stated that Oscoda County —consistently ranks above state average by approximately 94%.

Yuncker also said state and federal funding to the center has decreased substantially and noted that NMCAC is seeking stronger board representation from Oscoda County as renovations continue at its Roscommon facility. The presentation included statistics on forensic interviews, family advocacy sessions, mental-health sessions, non-acute medicals, prosecution rates and community referrals; the minutes record that those figures were provided but do not print full tabular detail.

The board did not take formal action on these presentations at the meeting; both items were received as informational updates.