School With a Purpose: Davie’s newest focuses on exceptional children

By Mike Barnhardt

Enterprise Record

There’s a new school in Davie County.

And it’s here for a reason: to help those students that the public school system can’t adequately provide for – those with multiple behaviorial issues.

Frankie Vaughn, a founder of the new Westwood Village Learning Center in Bermuda Run, took her plea to county commissioners earlier this month. She didn’t ask for money, but for the board members to look for ways to reach all children.

“Davie County has had tremendous growth, and that comes with added pressure on our school system.”

The average school class size is 17-20 students; Westwood has three teachers and a maximum of 25 students. She said the price is affordable, and is one of the few options available to parents.

“Imagine if you had a class of 20 students, even 15 with disabilities … and you’re possibly trying to keep kindergartners through fifth graders in that class. It’s very difficult.”

“We’re trying to alleviate some of that stress on the school system,” she said.

Vaughn told the story of her granddaughter, who was diagnosed with autism when she started school at age 5. Later, family learned the girl also suffered from a defiance disorder.

That showed up on the third week of school, when the child was placed into an “inclusion booth,” what Vaughn described as a 6- by 6-foot padded area, “which was necessary for safety.”

“But that led to trauma,” she said, and to a problem with finding an affordable, alternative school.

“We begged and we pleaded and we did find an online school after therapists and principals and assistant principals all wrote letters.” Other brick-and-mortar schools had waiting lists, and prices that most parents can’t afford, she said.

“That is the reason we need more micro-schools. This is a countywide problem.

“What I beg the county to do is to continue on with what we are starting, and help our children with (two or more disorders) because it is putting a burden on our public school systems. A lot in the community do not realize what is needed.”

She said there 1.5 million North Carolina students with individual education plans. “There’s no way our public school system can handle that. Think about how we can help these students. Just because they learn differently doesn’t mean they cannot learn … and we just neeed to figure out a way to assist them more, to get more teachers in or find alternatives.”

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