'It's okay to ask for help': School District of Waukesha opens high school dedicated to students recovering from substance use disorders
WAUKESHA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- High school students in Southeast Wisconsin who are recovering from substance use disorders now have a new option for their education.
For years, the state only had one established recovery high school, and it is located in Madison.
But on Sept. 1, the doors opened at the School District of Waukesha's former STEM Saratoga building, where leaders created Crosspoint Academy, which is dedicated to helping students in grades 9-12 in a supportive and substance-free environment.
“The community, we feel like, is 100% behind us and our students, they want to see us succeed," said Crosspoint Academy Principal Mark Lehnerer. “It’s okay to not be okay. It’s okay to ask for help and that’s why we’re here, we want students to come to us to be successful.”
According to the state Department of Health Services, in recent years, Wisconsin's youth opioid overdose rates have more than doubled.
In 2023, one in two Wisconsin high schoolers reported drinking alcohol, while one in 10 teens reported using marijuana.
“The studies will show you that students who return back to their pre-treatment high school, for example, have a rate in the 70th percentile that they’ll start using again eventually," Lehnerer said. “I think [Crosspoint] helps build that community and it helps students feel understood, because I think if you’re coming out of recovery, perhaps you’ve missed a significant amount of school and you have to come back, and now you have to kind of put this mask on that everything is okay. Here, you don’t have to do that. The mask goes away, you can be who you really are, you can really ask for help and know that there are people here who are committed to that recovery and are committed to helping you.”
The school district secured multiple grants to make the academy come to life.
“We have three layers of support. The first is a low student-to-staff ratio; we also have a dedicated alternative education teacher who can teach all the different subject areas, and we are currently in the process of hiring a dedicated substance use counselor," Lehnerer said, adding that students will also attend therapeutic support groups.
On Tuesday, Sept. 15, school board members, educators, and state officials gathered for a ceremonial ribbon cutting to celebrate.
“Just know that we’re here to support, we’re here to help, and that we want to provide that safe, sober space for students to continue their education so that they don’t have to put their sobriety on hold to return back to school," Lehnerer said. "They can do both at the same time.”
So far, there is one student at the academy, however enrollment is open on a rolling basis, and you do not have to be a part of the School District of Waukesha.