Manitowoc Schools plan Recovery High School

MANITOWOC, WI—(WISS)— The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction awarded only four Wisconsin school districts $75,000 grants to start a Recovery High School in March. Manitowoc Public School District (MPSD) is one of those districts. 

The school district says that now that it has received a grant, planning for the program’s launch and operation begins.

A Recovery High School in Manitowoc will help students in Manitowoc County pursue an abstinence-based path to recovery. The school will be designed to help students with substance use disorders and the mental health challenges that come with substance abuse, so that they can face those challenges to grow, heal, and thrive. The program, created under 2023 Wisconsin Act 72, supports the creation of recovery high schools across the state.

In a social media post, the MPSD listed almost a dozen organizations and regional partners helping the district by participating in planning sessions. 

Those community partners include:

• The Production Farm
• Lighthouse Recovery Community Center – Manitowoc
• Rogers Behavioral Health
• NEWAHEC: North Eastern Wisconsin Area Health Education Center
• CESA 7
• Lakeshore Community Health Care
• United Way Manitowoc County
• The Haven of Manitowoc County: 
• Painting Pathways Clubhouse
• NAMI Manitowoc County
• Manitowoc County Human Services 

MPSD Superintendent Lee Thennes told Wisconsin Public Radio that only 15 percent of the MPSD students who struggle with substance use disorder meet proficiency in reading. Only 10 percent meet proficiency in math. Additionally, these students tend to miss 20 percent of their school days. 

“Those numbers make it really hard to succeed,” Thennes said.

MPSD has interventions to help students catch up on credits and attend classes more regularly. But the district lacks support for recovery.

Other school districts in the state that are also receiving the $75,000 grants for recovery high schools include the School District of Ashland, the School District of Beloit, and the Norris School District.