PEORIA, Ariz. — A new school opening its doors on Aug. 1 serves some uniquely talented students that otherwise wouldn’t have access to tuition-free schooling catered to their needs.
On Thursday, teachers and staff at Arizona Autism Charter Schools, Inc., a tuition-free charter school, held their grand opening celebration for their new West Valley campus, at 11039 W. Olive Avenue in Peoria.
The school first opened its doors in central Phoenix in 2014, beginning with 90 students, born out of necessity, founder Diana Diaz-Harrison said.
She felt her son, who is on the spectrum, was falling through the cracks at his traditional public school.
“When my son was in school, I just felt like he wasn't challenged and was always underestimated,” Diaz-Harrison said. “As a mom, I was always told what he couldn't do, because he had a disability. And that's not how I wanted my son or other kids to be seen.”
Seeing nothing that met her son’s needs, she created her own school for Autistic children. Over the last seven years, Diaz-Harrison and her staff have worked to provide a learning environment that meets the diverse needs of her students.
“So, what's really great is that there's one lead teacher and two behavior support staff that serve as instructional assistants,” Diaz-Harrison explained. “And that's how you get that really differentiated instruction, where it's one instructor and three students all working on their individualized schools and working with their reinforcement systems to keep them motivated. And they all have a plan to keep them engaged and learning at school.”
The West Valley Campus of AZACS will enroll 120 students in their first year. The K-4 school will add a grade each year so that this year’s fourth-grade class can graduate from the school their senior year. By the end of their time at AZACS, Diaz-Harrison hopes her students will look back at their time with a sense of empowerment.
“They were celebrated for their learning differences and their unique brains that make them uniquely suited to conquer the world and be confident with what they have to offer,” said Diaz-Harrison.
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