Introductions

[Diane Morris]

Hi everyone,

I figure we should begin this collaboration with introductions. My name is Diane Morris. I am the mother of two boys with autism, ages 11 and 13. We live in Cary.

I am an editor and writer, and I work for a non-profit organization called the NC Justice Center.

I strongly believe we need charter schools for special-needs students because we are facing a new reality in education in North Carolina. (This is just my take on things. You don't need to agree with me for us to work together.) The state legislature has significantly cut funding for public schools, and it's clear the education and well-being of your children are suffering.

Charter schools, of course, are public schools, but they have fewer restrictions and much more autonomy. Also, many charter schools put significant focus on fundraising. (Fundraising is an essential part of operating a charter school, because the state does not provide any capital funds.) I believe we can raise enough private funds for a special-needs charter high school to enable us to provide our children with a better and more appropriate education than what they are getting now.

I tried to start an elementary/middle charter school with my friends a couple of years ago, but I couldn't get enough people to work on it. Folks were interested, but they either couldn't or weren't willing to put in the time and effort. And this process takes a lot of time and effort.

I hope you've read the pages at www.dynamiccommunityhs.wordpress.com, which lays out my vision for this high school. I am completely open to modifying that vision. I created the website because I felt we needed some kind of framework around which we could organize this effort.

If you haven't already forwarded the information about this effort to your friends and networks, please do so. We need a lot of people with a variety of expertise to make this happen.

So, that's my story. Please go ahead and introduce yourself!

I look forward to working with all of you.

Diane

[Sara Turner]

Hello... my name is Sara Turner. I have a 3.5 year old son with autism and a 1.5 year old who is doing great, but has a slight speech delay... praying it's not apraxia like we suspect of his big bro!

I'm in my sixth year of teaching special ed in Wake County and I've taught all grades K-12! Currently I'm at a high school. I also run a photography business and do some small freelance graphic design jobs.

"Thinking outside the box" and truly individualized interventions are severely lacking in public school. I think a school for our kids that is really focused on guided participation would be wonderful!

[Lia McNeilly]

Hi Diane,

My name is Lia and I have an 8yo daughter and a 6yo son. My daughter is in the ID Mild II class at Lynn Rd. I think her teachers have been dedicated and hardworking but I do worry about where she's going after elementary school. I am reassured by WCPSS that she will not be dropped, but they stop the separate classrooms so that the kids can go to different teachers for different subjects. I still worry.

I hope you can get this off the ground.

Lia

On Thursday, November 8, 2012 9:39:20 AM UTC-5, Diane Morris wrote:

[Diane Morris]

Thanks Sara and Lia for introducing yourselves. And Sara, thanks for mentioning the issue of individualized interventions. That is so important, and I'm going to add it to the website. I think that's part of the beauty of a project-based learning approach -- aspects of a project can be adjusted to meet the needs of each student. 

My hope is that we will create a school where parents, therapists and teachers work together to create IEPs that include all of the services the student needs, outlines what skills (academic, vocational, communication, etc.) the student would most benefit from learning or developing expertise in, and details how that quarter's project(s) will meet those needs. 

[Four4Tea]

My name is Terri, and I have 2 special needs children. My 12 year old daughter is autistic and is in the ID mild class at Lynn Rd. She has always been very hard to place. She is too social for the autistic classes and too bright for the ID mod classes where we live in Rolesville. My 9 year old son has oppositional defiant disorder and ADHD. He is also struggling. I taught special Ed in Wake County for 7 years and then at a private school for 4. I feel like a high school that meets our kids half way or better would be an amazing solution to one of my greatest worries. I look forward to working with everyone.
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[Kelly Kinard]

Hi, my name is Kelly and I have a 7 year old son with Autism and ADHD who attends Turner Creek Elementary right now.  He's doing really well there, but I worry about where he will go for Middle and High School.  I work in Prospect Research for Duke Development, and I would be available to help with any fundraising research needs you may have to get this going.

Best,

Kelly

On Thursday, November 8, 2012 9:39:20 AM UTC-5, Diane Morris wrote:

[Dawn]

Hi Everyone!  My name is Dawn.

 

This is a great idea, kudos to all exploring this concept in Wake County!  Others know the rules of charter schools much more than I do, but I think in NC they are required to accept all children so this might impact the school's specialized vision in some way.  Although, most charter schools have a "special focus" so I'm sure there is a way to do this. 

 

In other areas like DC and up north there are private school options for children with disabilities and they are partially funded by the public school systems because the children cannot be served well there in the public schools.  I have read that DC schools can pay $20,000-$80,000/yr just to send the children to these specialized schools. 

 

With the new NC spec ed tax credit, many parents might be able to send their children to a school like this if it had to be private vs. charter option.  We send our HFA 6 y/o son to a private Christian school in Wake County, and the tuition is $410/mo. so it is nearly fully covered by the state tax credit.  The student:teacher ratio will not exceed 12:1.  Granted, we don't have any special IT gadgets like smartboards or other cutting edge technology, and our space is clean and simple (it was donated to us), but it works and we can keep it affordable.

 

I'm happy to ask our administrator and the board director to meet with you to discuss how they operate their school and set up the non-profit.  FYI, we have quite a few children seemingly on the spectrum at our school and they do fantasticly there!  There are no IEP's in place, but I was surprised to find the lack of need for that document when the teachers are so willing to teach to our child vs. try to fit him into a predetermined mold.  The switch from public to private has made a huge difference for our family.  I would think a charter school option could be a similar experience.

 

 

[lbbrain]

Hi all,
I just realized I hadn't signed up to receive emails from the group!   Anyway.. I'm Laura-- I've got three kids ages 17, 13, and nearly 12.  We have always homeschooled. 

My 13 yr old daughter has ID Mild and developmental delays (speech, cognitive etc..) 

Looking forward to meeting everyone,
Laura

 

[Nancy Boorom]

Hello Everyone! My name is Nancy Boorom,

I am the mother of two wonderful kids, my son with moderate autism is 16 and attends Panther Creek High School. My daughter is in her first year of college. We live in Cary. I agree that we need a school that actually helps our special needs children that will prepare them better for life after school. In my case, I feel my son falls through the crack of the public schools, he is not high functioning enough to handle the classrooms by himself but does not fit in the ID classes either. My career was in publishing (its been quite a few years since I worked outside of the home) but can help any organizational, printing that will be needed and coordinating charity events to raise funding. 

Our kids deserve this! I look forward to working with everyone!

Nancy

On Thursday, November 8, 2012 9:39:20 AM UTC-5, Diane Morris wrote: