The Upper Cumberland’s new Anniston Academy bringing a new approach to neurodivergent education when it opens in August.
Co-founder and Chief Clinical Officer Kathryn DuBray said Anniston Academy is a therapeutic micro-school for students who learn better outside of the traditional classroom. DuBray said she believes the classroom should accommodate the child by affirming their specific needs.
“We want to be able to provide that safety that we know these students need,” DuBray said. “Not only physical safety, but also emotional safety. And I think we do that by really honoring who these students are. What not only their limitations are, but what their unique gifts and abilities are.”
DuBray said Anniston Academy is different from public school special education because there are fewer limitations to what services they can offer. DuBray said the academy is more affordable than other special needs programs.
“Most of these schools that specialize in children with special needs have these very lofty tuition prices upwards of $55,000 per year,” DuBray said. “That’s just not reasonable for families, especially in the Upper Cumberland area.”
DuBray said tuition is more in line with area private schools and what would be covered by school vouchers. Therapies and other services students need would be funded through their insurance.
DuBray said there will be different therapies available, including speech, feeding, and occupational therapy within the classroom setting. DuBray said offering therapy in the classroom gives students better access to direct instruction.
“No real educational system around here provides all of those different services. And they also definitely don’t provide them in the classroom,” DuBray said. “So, if a student is getting speech therapy or occupational therapy for example, that is something that the school system offers, however, that’s something they remove the child from the classroom to obtain. We believe it’s best to keep the children in the classroom as much as possible.”
DuBray said there is high demand for a program like this in the region, as only 74 of the 300 applicants could be accepted this year. In addition, DuBray said about a quarter of Putnam County students have individual education plans.
“I think this has really opened the door to see that there’s so much more to it than meets the eye,” DuBray said. “A lot of our students, well, they aren’t autistic. Maybe they have dyslexia and they aren’t getting the evidence based treatment and curriculum that are available for that condition in the public school system.”
DuBray said Anniston Academy service kids from three years old to sixth grade. In the future, DuBray hopes to add seventh and eighth grades and follow those students through their high school years.
