Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) and the Phoenix Recovery Academy have formed a partnership at the nexus of substance-use disorders and public education.

On Wednesday, FCPS and the Phoenix Recovery Academy formally entered into the partnership. The partnership will consist of a mix of resource sharing, training and professional development opportunities for FCPS staff, and public education on the lived-experiences of substance-use disorders; FCPS hopes to bring Phoenix students who have successfully recovered from substance-use disorders to speak in county high school health classes, for example.

Currently, four students are enrolled at the academy, which opened in August 2020. The academy is one of 45 recovery secondary schools around the country.

According to the Phoenix Recovery Academy’s website, “recovery high schools are secondary schools designed specifically for students in recovery from substance use disorder. The staff of recovery high schools most often includes administrative staff, teachers, substance abuse counselors, and mental health professionals that each play a critical role in supporting their students. Additionally, recovery schools provide support for families learning how to live with, and provide support for, their teens entering into the recovery lifestyle.”

“We hope that we can be a resource to the adolescents in the public school community who are struggling and want to recover,” Phoenix Recovery Academy Executive Director Heather Whitcomb said.

For more information on the Phoenix Recovery Academy, visit its website.