SALISBURY, Md.- Some education leaders on the Eastern Shore are voicing concern about the decline of mental health facilities for students.
Dr. Micah Stauffer, Superintendent of the Wicomico County School District says 'Non-public educational facilities' have left Delmarva. Dr. Stauffer says the state of Maryland has at least 100 of these facilities, while there is only on the Eastern Shore.
These facilities are for students with deep trauma and behavioral issues. Dr. Stauffer says he believes the decline is due to a lack of funding, and as these facilities have declined across our region, behavior has only worsened.
"The range of both mental and behavioral health issues and problems that we have in our community are only growing and intensifying each year," said Stauffer. "We certainly can't send our students to that type of setting when its over 2 hours away. so not having access to that means we don't really have access to a full range of resources that some students across the state have access to."
Dr. Stauffer says this leaves school districts in our area to meet those needs.
More information on these facilities in Maryland can be found here.
