The Knox Community School Corporation is looking at ways to help students who are struggling in a traditional high school setting, following the closure of The Crossing alternative school’s Knox campus.
When The Crossing School of Business and Entrepreneurship closed its Knox location back in June, Knox students were given the chance to continue at The Crossing’s Plymouth location. But now, Knox School Superintendent Dr. William Reichhart says the corporation’s last student at The Crossing will no longer be attending.
That doesn’t mean the need has gone away, though. “We’ll look at starting, perhaps, our own alternative school because I think there’s a real need for our students to be serviced here in Knox,” Reichhart told the Knox School Board Monday. “So that will be coming up after the first of the year. I’ll be bringing that back to the board.”
Reichhart discussed the issue, after board member Kirk Bennett noticed that the corporation was still paying bills to The Crossing. Reichhart explained that the school corporation pays, based on whether it has students attending. Without any students at The Crossing going forward, that payment will come to an end.
When The Crossing opened its Knox location, it was guaranteed a certain number of students from several local school districts. However, many of the public schools then switched to an agreement in which they only paid for the number of students they were actually sending. Officials with The Crossing said that led to a big hit on the faith-based alternative school’s funding.
