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April 26, 2022 – “This school keeps those students separate from the general education students, so they can work on their recovery and continue in their recovery and not be subject to those negative influences,” she said.

Fried said the funding needed to implement the program is two-pronged. One part of the money is for educational purposes and — because Hope Academy is a regional school — is subject to the General Assembly’s budget approval. The other part will allocate $300,000 to the county’s Department of Behavioral Health ad Developmental Services to pay for five staff positions.

Fried said three full-time clinicians, one part-time recovery specialist and one part-time family support partner are tapped for the school so far.

She added that funding for this initiative was secured a few years ago by Chesterfield County Public Schools superintendent Merv Daugherty. But some of that money had to be reallocated because of the pandemic.

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