Oxford’s board of education voted unanimously Oct. 9 to approve moving forward with an Oakland County grant to establish a lab for cognitively-impaired students that will teach them life and jobs skills.

The lab will be provided through a company called Talent Assessment Inc.

Assistant Superintendent for Student Services Denise Sweat informed board members of the opportunity on Oct. 9 and  encouraged  them  to move forward as soon  as possible. Since the board approved Sweat’s pursuit of the program, Oxford will be higher up on the list of county schools that are interested, which could mean training and funding will come quicker to Oxford.

“The lab would be at the high school for cognitively-impaired students, and it’s (for) exploring job opportunities, job skills, vocational training for students who are on the certificate of completion track,” Sweat said. “It’s a very expensive lab, and most districts do not have them just because of  the cost and training  involved.”

The lab will not require Oxford to hire additional staff and will be open to Oxford High School and LOFT students. In the future, Sweat hopes to offer the lab to middle school students as well.

“We’re very excited for the opportunity because it’s just something we could not afford to support without (the help of) Oakland Schools,” Sweat said.

The deadline for the district to sign up for funding is Nov. 1 and the one-time license will cost the district $25,675.10. Board trustees were excited to provide this tool to students who can benefit from it.

“I’m excited to see this lab,” Trustee Mark Stepek said. “Really, it’s a great idea. It really shows our commitment to everybody.”

“I’m very excited to hear about the program for the special education  (students),” added Trustee Heather  Shafer. “I think it sounds like a real opportunity for us to really involve the LOFT program at a higher level. I have always thought that’s something we really need to focus on.”