Wyoming Lawmakers Weigh Changes To Boost Program For At-Risk Teens

GUERNSEY, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming lawmakers will explore changes to the Wyoming Cowboy Challenge Academy to bring school districts closer to the National Guard program that targets at-risk teens.

Though the number of cadets enrolling in the program has increased in recent years, the facility still has empty beds.

The program has four classes of 60 enrollees a year, with a goal of graduating 48 cadets per class.

The program accepts 16- to 18-year-old students who have dropped out of high school. The teens go through a five-and-a-half-month residency at the National Guard's Fort Guernsey facility, undergoing a regimen of physical fitness, education, citizenship and leadership.

After their residency, cadets work with a mentor for 12 months. The goal is for the cadets to complete their GED diploma.