Special Needs Charter School Remains Open

I have written several columns about the benefits of parental choice in education.  West Ashley has a variety of magnet schools with special programs that are open to all students within the District 10 attendance area.  I have also written about Orange Grove Charter School, which is governed by an independent board of directors.  After many consecutive years as an excellent-rated elementary school,  Orange Grove successfully launched its middle school program last year at the former Oakland Elementary School campus.
There is a second West Ashley charter school which doesn’t have as much visibility – Pattison’s Academy for Comprehensive Education (P.A.C.E.), which serves 32 children with severe disabilities.  It has been housed in a wing of Grace on the Ashley Church at 2014 Bees Ferry Rd. since 2010.
Originally founded as a non-profit by an occupation therapist, a physical therapist, a teacher and a special needs parent in 2004 to provide itinerant services, P.A.C.E. received its charter in 2010 from the Charleston County School District.  It is the only special needs charter school in South Carolina.
The school serves students with severe and multiple disabilities, including intellectual disability,  orthopedic impairment and speech and language impairment.  The school serves some students who are not English-speaking.  The school’s mission statement calls to “improve the quality of life for children with multiple disabilities by providing a comprehensive education program that integrates educational curricula instruction with functional rehabilitation.”
A key feature of P.A.C.E. is that parents are welcomed participants in their children’s educational and rehabilitation programs.  The staff includes special needs teachers, teacher’s assistants, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists and English as a second language teachers.  The school is equipped with a washer and dryer and dishwasher to maintain good sanitary conditions.  The staff must change diapers and feed many of the students.
P.A.C.E. was in jeopardy of closing over the summer due to financial difficulties.  The school’s charter was allowed to expire on June 30 with the likelihood that the students would be sent to their neighborhood schools, many of which are not equipped to provide the services they need.  The Charleston County School Board decided weeks later to re-instate the charter with the stipulation that the P.A.C.E. board of directors meet quarterly with school district officials to review finances.
West Ashley resident Randy Disharoon serves on the P.A.C.E. board.  His son Seth has attended the school since it opened.  He notes that the school receives funding from state education funds, Medicaid and non-profit foundations.  He said, “A lot of families are very relieved that the school is remaining open.  There was a lot of uncertainty whether their children would receive the same level of care somewhere else.”
It is likely that the school district and the state Medicaid fund will actually save money with P.A.C.E. staying open.  The school district would have needed to hire additional special needs teachers and teacher’s assistants to accommodate P.A.C.E. students at other schools, and Medicaid won’t need to send therapists directly to homes all around the county.
Disharoon notes that many of the school’s students undergo surgeries and that the school is equipped to handle them one to two weeks after surgery versus eight to nine weeks at other settings.  That eases the burden on their families and allows the students to rehabilitate much more rapidly.
Praising Grace on the Ashley church for being a great host, Disharoon is grateful for the school setting.  “I can’t put into words how valuable this school is,” he said.  “There is genuine love here.  The staff knows these kids and can get them to do things their parents never thought possible.”
The school continues to seek new sources of funding and eventually will purchase a third bus.  You can make a contribution at PattisonsDreamAcademy.org/support-us.html.  The school is holding a fundraiser at Creekside Pizza at 2600 Savannah Hwy Sun, Aug. 21 at 1:30.  Come out and support our special West Ashley charter school.
John Steinberger is the former chairman of the Charleston County Republican Party, a leading Fair Tax advocate, and a West Ashley resident. He can be reached at John.steinberger@scfairtax.org.