CHESTERFIELD, Mo. — Recovering substance users and advocates gathered to help teens who struggle on Sunday.
Gov. Mike Parson has set aside $10.4 million in his budget to establish a Recovery High School in St. Louis and Kansas City, marking a pivotal moment in Missouri's battle against substance use disorder (SUD) among teens.
The initiative plans to offer a lifeline to thousands of young Missourians struggling with addiction.
In St. Louis, alarming rates of teen binge drinking and prescription drug abuse persist, with 1 in 5 teens engaging in these behaviors. Shockingly, 1 in 4 students report being offered, sold, or given drugs on school property, according to the CDC.
The concept of Recovery High Schools was introduced in 1987 but has not yet been implemented in Missouri. These specialized schools offer a dual approach, allowing students to concurrently work on their Substance Use Disorder program while pursuing their high school diploma.
Kelli Unnerstall, founder of Aspire Advocates for Behavioral Health, has partnered with a group of interns and parents to get the message out. This rally is expected to produce official funding for a school in St. Louis.
This year marks 37 years of sobriety for Unnerstall and she remembers what it felt like not being supported in "normal" high school.
"They'll be 20 percentage points higher. Likelihood of graduating. They'll also be two times more sober when they graduate so really profound impact," she said.
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will issue a request for proposal for these schools at the end of January and Aspire Advocates will submit a proposal to DESE for a Recovery High School on Dec. 1.
The Missouri Board of Education will make its decision on whether to approve St. Louis Recovery High School's proposal in February 2025.
The group will travel to Jefferson City this week for several meetings. They plan to talk to lawmakers and members of the Substance Use Prevention and Treatment Task Force.