San Diego Unified ends contact with special education school

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Silvia Michelazi says she’s never seen her daughter Mia this happy.

Mia, who was a preemie, was diagnosed with autism when she was four.

For years, Silvia says, Mia struggled to fit in.

"She was delayed in speaking, had difficulty making friends, and has repetitive behavior in speech. It makes it difficult for normal kids—they see her differently," Silvia explained.

Mia didn’t do well in public school, so the San Diego Unified School District got her into the NewBridge School, which specializes in students with language-based learning disabilities. Silvia says Mia began to flourish.

"She started to learn, make friends, have meaningful friendships, and feel self-confident," Silvia said.

However, all of that changed when they received a letter from San Diego Unified on June 26 informing them that the district was terminating its contract with NewBridge, forcing Mia and other classmates to find a new school.

They were given a few options, but Silvia says none of them fit Mia due to the type of programs offered or lack of space.

"Having it taken away with short notice and not knowing what to do has been extremely hard," Silvia said.

ABC10News reached out to San Diego Unified, which provided a statement saying the district "would not renew its contract with the schools due to ongoing concerns about compliance with district contracts and state certification requirements."

The statement continued, "The district is committed to finding alternate programs that meet the unique needs of those students. We will continue dialogue with NewBridge about their contract and state certification requirements."

NewBridge also issued a statement, saying, "We have contacted the Special Education Department, the President of the School Board, and the Superintendent asking that they honor the mediation requirement of the contract to discuss any specific concerns they may have, but to date, have not heard back."

Silvia remains hopeful that everyone will work together so Mia can stay at NewBridge and continue to thrive.