Alternative Boarding Schools In Montana
Help Your Teen Now is a parent advocacy group dedicated to helping families find solutions for their troubled teens. We know that the process of selecting an alternative or therapeutic boarding school program can be overwhelming and you don’t want to spend hours looking for the most effective answers to your questions and concerns. We have a full team standing ready to help you and our organization offers comprehensive and trustworthy information on all of your options. We look forward to partnering with you as you endeavor to heal your family.
Montana Regulatory Laws
Accreditation may be requested by the superintendent of public instruction, but it is not required. Mont. Code Ann. §20-7-102. There are no requirements for licensing, registration or approval. A teaching certificate is required for all instructors at an accredited school. Public schools must provide a course of study that includes the same curriculum or instruction as those taught in a public school. Mont. Code Ann.§20-5-109(4). Accredited schools must meet the Program Foundation Standards of curriculum that are listed in the Administrative Rules of Montana
10-55, established by the Montana Board of Public Education. Mont. Code Ann. §20-7-101.
The Department of Health and Environmental Sciences will oversee regular sanitary inspections of of private school facilities. Mont. Code Ann. §50-1-203. Schools must hold at least eight disaster drills a year based on the hazards that pertain to the area. Mont. Code Ann.§§20-10401, 20-10402, 20-1-404. The sale of drugs within 1,000 feet of a private school is a criminal offense under Montana codes. Mont. Code Ann.§45-9-109.
Reference: http://www2.ed.gov/admins/comm/choice/regprivschl/regprivschl.pdf
ADD/ADHD
8.5 percent of children between 4 and 17 diagnosed per year. (2007 study, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007 Study).
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/prevalence.html
TEEN PREGNANCY
Pregnancy rates for adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 in Montana were between 30.7 and 39.0 per 1,000 women (Center for Disease Control and Prevention 2009 Study).
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6006a6.htm?s_cid=mm6006a6_e%0d%0a
TEEN SUICIDE
Montana ranks 5th in the nation for suicide in individuals age 15-24. In 2010, there were 29 deaths with a crude rate of 21.7. (CDC’s WISQARS website “Fatal Injury Reports, 2010” http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html;)
http://www.suicidology.org/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=262&name=DLFE-629.pdf
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Approximately 14.5 percent of adolescents in Montana, age 12-17, experiment with illicit drugs monthly. 10.8 percent regularly use marijuana and 7.3 percent use other types of illicit drugs. 21.4 percent of adolescents regularly drink alcohol. 17.9 percent engage in binge drinking. (State Report, 2009, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.)
http://www.samhsa.gov/data/States_In_Brief_Reports.aspx
VIOLENT CRIME
In 2008, the U.S. Department of Justice reported the following juvenile arrest rates for for Montana: 112 arrests for violent crime, 1,831 arrests for property crime, 305 arrests for Drug Abuse and 21 arrests for weapons violations. (Washington, DC: Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2009).
https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/228479.pdf
GRADUATION RATES
Montana had an 82 percent statewide graduation rate for the 2010-2011 school year. (U.S. Department of Education. 2010-2011)
http://www.governing.com/gov-data/high-school-graduation-rates-by-state.html
Summary
Call us and we can help you craft a plan that is individualized specifically to address your child’s unique needs. We offer a free evaluation for your teen that will help us direct you toward the groups, resources and facilities that will be of most value to you. Our experienced professionals and volunteers are standing by to answer any and all of your questions. Our goal is to make this stressful process a little easier on you.
We have thoroughly checked the credentials and success rate of each organization we recommend. Because we are not financially affiliated to any facility or group that we support, you can be assured that you are getting the best, non-biased advice. Call us today to take that first step toward healing your child.