ORANGE PARK, Fla. – The Florida budget passed last week includes $750,000 to establish an alternative school in Clay County for at-risk and troubled teenagers referred to the program by the school district.
AMIkids, a nationally recognized nonprofit which serves troubled youth, will administer the program. The AMIkids prevention model targets students who exhibit behavior or academic struggles that may lead to being a risk of dropping out or becoming part of the juvenile justice system.
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This model helps communities and schools prevent offenses from happening, rather than only treating after they offend.
"Last year, we were able to provide state funds to establish a PACE Center for Girls in Clay County. This year, we sought out an equally successful program for the at-risk male students in the community," said Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island "I have personally visited several AMIkids programs in Florida and I've talked to kids being served in these schools. This is a wonderful opportunity to help kids in Clay County who, otherwise, are likely to end up in our juvenile or adult correctional systems."
Rep. Travis Cummings, R-Orange Park, is equally enthusiastic about the potential of the project.
"I am very excited to help bring AMIkids to Clay County. We are now able to offer quality alternative school programs to both boys and girls locally, and any intervention to benefit at-risk youth is a great investment in our community," Cummings said.
Funding for the AMIkids Clay County program was included the state's $87 billion budget that was signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott earlier this week.