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Deb: Crossroads East cleared to reopen under DHS stipulations, will accept six youth initially
Summary
District staff said DHS lifted a temporary suspension on Crossroads East—license on June 12 with conditions that limit intake to six youth for 60 days while corrective actions are completed; district staff described a cautious staffing plan and no firm timeline for scaling.
Deb, a district staff member, told the board that Crossroads East (housed at Nexus East Bethel) received a May 15 notice from the Department of Human Services temporarily pulling its license and that DHS lifted that suspension on June 12 with stipulations.
"They were issued the temporary closure or pulling the license," Deb said, adding later that the program "can only take 6 to start with, and they have to hold that 6 for 60 days" while DHS returns to re-evaluate compliance. Deb said the district asked Nexus to avoid elementary placements initially to limit staffing needs and that a program supervisor will be assigned.
The update matters because Crossroads East serves youth in a district program setting and the temporary closure removed students from the facility. Deb described the district's staffing plan as conservative: an assigned program supervisor, at least one licensed staff member and behavioral interventionists as numbers increase. She said there is no firm timeline for when the program will scale beyond six youths and that she hopes to have another update next week.
Board members pressed for operational detail. The chair asked whether the six youths' age ranges are determined; Deb said the district has requested Nexus restrict initial intake to secondary students to avoid the larger staffing and curriculum demands that elementary placements would require. Deb said the academic program will use an online platform and teachers will meet students individually or in small groups.
District counsel and DHS conditions will govern how quickly Nexus can expand placements, Deb said. The presentation closed with the board acknowledging the district will monitor the corrective actions and return to the board with further updates.
