The School District of Lee County is pausing the transition of Buckingham Exceptional Student Center to the Royal Palm Exceptional Campus until further notice.
A notice from the district late Wednesday said the School District and School Board of Lee County have heard from the Buckingham community and acknowledge their strong feelings and concerns.
The notice came on the heels of news that 77 students with medical special needs were to be moved from the school they have attended in Lee County to another next year.
Parents of the students at Buckingham Exceptional School in Fort Myers learned by a letter in early April that their children would be moving — along with their teachers and staff — to Royal Palm Exceptional School next year. Royal Palm educates children with behavioral needs.
Despite assurances from the school district that any accessibility problems at Royal Palm will be amended over the summer, and all equipment will be moved along with the students, Buckingham parents remain skeptical, particularly after attending an open house at Royal Palm a few days after receiving the news.
About two dozen parents and community members showed up at the most recent board of education meeting April 14 to plead with the board to reverse this decision, citing many important modifications for disabled students that Buckingham school has and Royal Palm does not.
Although the decision to co-locate Buckingham school within Royal Palm drew some very emotional pleas to the board of education, the decision was made by district administrators, said Lee County Schools spokesman Rob Spicker. It did not require board approval since Buckingham school will not be closed. A decision has not yet been made about what the school will be used for, Spicker said.
The notice sent by the district Wednesday further said that The School District has been notified that some families are pursuing options under Florida statute to convert Buckingham Exceptional Student Center into a charter school.
The District says it will consult with the leaders of the effort on the respective responsibilities in accordance with Florida statute.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.
