School for special needs children closing as parents scramble to find alternative care
Private school for kids with special needs closing as parents left to find alternatives
A private school for children with special needs is closing and parents are shocked and left scrambling to find new arrangements for their kids in Bucks County.
LEVITTOWN, Pa. - Parents of some children with special needs in Bucks County are scrambling to find a new school.
They were shocked to find out their school is closing at the end of the school year. And, they are discovering that finding a new school won’t be that easy.
What we know:
For decades the Easterseals private school in Levittown has been a blessing for parents of children with special needs looking for a full-time school for their kids.
"She can talk now. She knows a lot more than she did when she started," said Rebecca Merrigan, mother of 3-year-old Kenzie who has autism.
"He’s so outgoing - likes to be with people around him. The school did so much," added Estephani Villafurte whose son, Jayden, also has autism.
But both moms were stunned and crushed when they got a letter from the school they love telling them it's closing at the end of the school year.
20 families of special needs children will now have to find a new full-time school. The letter from Easterseals CEO Tim Kerrihard said, "Like many businesses, Easterseals has been navigating significant financial challenges since the pandemic"
What they're saying:
"I was really, like, devastated. I was like, what is going on? They were just now saying about a summer school program and now they are closing the school. It was a lot," said Villafuerte.
"We are devastated. We are not sure what the next step for her is. We’re afraid she’s going to regress," said Merrigan.
Kerrihard tells FOX 29 the reason for the school’s closure is declining enrollment and financial challenges. The organization says it will still serve hundreds of Bucks County children with special needs in other ways.
"It breaks our heart as well. At the end of the day for us to ensure that we can be here for those other children we had to make this difficult call" added Kerrihard.
Easterseals says it will help families place their children at another private schools in Philadelphia or Montgomery County. But some parents say those locations are too far away.
Angelo Bratsis' 4-year-old son Remy has been thriving at the school. His parents will have to make a difficult choice.
"If the place closed, then we might - me and his mother might actually lose our jobs. Because we’re going to have to look for babysitters again, because no daycares will accept him," said Bratsis.
What's next:
There are no immediate plans to re-open the school. The doors will close for good on June 12th.