GRANT, Michigan — A motion for Grant Public Schools to cut ties with Family Health Care, and in turn, closing the Child and Adolescent Health Center, was approved by four out of six Grant Board of Education members on Monday.
The topic was added to the agenda at the start of the meeting by a board member.
Family Health Care has been providing school-based healthcare since 2010 and has served 658 patients as a full-service medical facility. They were not notified that the Board of Education would be discussing their contract, and neither was the superintendent, who is voicing concern over what this means for the wellbeing of students.
"We've had some, you know, some tough times that students have gone through with some of the closures and COVID in the school violence, and there's just there's a lot of heavy things that are on young people's minds these days. And having helped to sort through that. And we've got great staff at all of our school buildings as well. But being able to have that extra layer of support makes a huge difference. We don't have enough people,” said Grant superintendent Brett Zuver, who also praises the work the center has done for the community.
“It's fantastic, it's a great program that we are able to have at our school district for our students, and it's housed in our middle school. And it's not just middle school students who utilize that adolescent health center, Child Adolescent Health Center, we've got elementary students that come over, high school students that come over, and they just have done so many wonderful things for a decade plus for our students and families here. Granted, it is a really would be a really tough thing.”
The facility had been criticized by some before over concerns that the clinic was providing non-age-appropriate material to students, with both school and Family Health Care officials defending the center. Zuver also described the response from parents and community members as being sad, surprised and disappointed that this action happened so suddenly, but also without discussion with parents.
Lindsay Malich, who attended the board meeting on Monday, commented on what she heard and saw.
“What I thought was very strange and very concerning is when a motion was brought to the table. To do this, there was no interest or that it seemed to gather feedback from the community, the administrators, superintendents, or the health care center, you know, being part of that. And I just as a parent, I'm very concerned when a board is making motions that impacts so many students, whether they're using the center or not, it impacts all of the students from a safety standpoint and a health standpoint, it truly felt like the motion was just pushed through and railroaded through with no clear thought, discussion and input from the community," she said.
While her family has never had to use the health center, she is concerned for what this means for her children's classmates and teachers.
"What I'm most concerned about is my children are sitting next to those students that have been able to utilize those resources to work through health issues that they may having, but more importantly, mental health issues that they may be experiencing. So, we're then taking those students who are potentially losing access to those resources, and leaving them in the classroom for their other classmates to deal with and help them work through. And then, ultimately, it's going to fall on the shoulders of our staff that are in the schools working day to day with the students.”
Zuver invites community members to voice their thoughts to board members directly, and to attend the next board meeting on July 10.
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