Group planning charter school

A group of community members who wanted to open a private school for children with multiple, severe disabilities now plan to start a charter school in the Charleston County School District.

The change in direction came after organizers considered the best options for the program, and a private school would financially limit students who could enroll, said Sloan Cooper, executive director of Pattison's Academy for Comprehensive Education. "The charter school direction would be best for what our mission would be and the kids we wanted to serve," she said. "We wanted the doors to be open to anybody who wanted to attend."

The charter school initially would open in fall 2010 and serve 30 students between kindergarten and the eighth grade who have profound disabilities. The school would grow by 12 students annually until it enrolls about 70 students.

Children would receive intensive physical, occupational and speech therapy in the charter school in a more robust way than the district provides, Cooper said. The sheer number of students would enable the school to have resources that might not be available at neighborhood schools, she said. "We want to provide families with an opportunity to choose where their child goes," she said.

The Charleston County School Board has put a moratorium on approving charter school applications until a number of issues are resolved, including its lawsuit against the state about its obligation on charter schools. Cooper said she hoped that the moratorium would be lifted by the time the application went to the board.

The school plans to submit its charter school application to the state by May. Pattison's Academy is the only group seeking to start a charter school that district officials are aware of and working with now, said Bob Olson, the district's interim director of school choice.

The academy is named for Pattison Julia Sloat, the daughter of one of the school's founders, who has the functional development of a 3-month-old, uses a wheelchair and has hearing and vision impairments.

Community members began Pattison's Academy summer camp in 2006 to provide a program for children to continue receiving therapy when public schools are closed. That effort has grown and garnered support, and Cooper said she hopes the recognition of that camp will translate into support for the charter school.

Like all startup charter school efforts, one of the biggest obstacles these organizers will face will be finding a building to house the program. The charter school would be happy to use existing space in a school building or consider other innovative ideas for the location, Cooper said.