HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Parents and teachers in Tampa have been rallying together for more than a year to build a new school that specifically caters to children with special needs.
This month the Evolve School of Learning officially opened its doors.
“It was super fun watching the parent's reactions and just being like, ‘It's a real school now, it’s a real school,’” said co-owner Lindsey Meyer.
Meyer and fellow owner April Hurley have been working hard for the past 20 months, all for this moment. Parents say they couldn’t be more thankful.
“We’ve tried public schools, and we found them lacking support and a safe space for my child to be,” said Lindsay Whitney. “
Whitney is one of 45 families to proudly say their child is part of the inaugural class at Evolve School of Learning.
“We are thrilled this school is opening because we wanted somewhere we felt comfortable, we felt safe, we felt my child is going to be welcomed and loved,” said Whitney.
“We’re going to do whatever we need to do to help anyone, as they are, who they are, no matter physical, cognitive disabilities,” said Principal Eboni Reed.
Reed walked the parents through each room during the open house.
She understands what they’ve been missing and what they need.
“Most of our teachers and support staff have family members with special needs, so they got that personal experience and professional experience,” said Reed.
All the children’s therapy sessions occur in the same building, and every teacher has an aide.
“As a parent of a child with special needs, you’re running, therapies, therapies, therapies, I don’t have to do that running anymore, I do everything here,” said parent Melissa Locke.
Teacher Gelia Woodward has been working with special needs children for 40 years and says there aren’t many other schools like Evolve.
“I haven’t had this much support from the administration in a very long time,” said Woodward.
The administration says they couldn’t have done it alone; families and teachers worked together to raise the funds needed to turn this idea into a reality.
“It’s wonderful to have a special needs community that supports each other and our children; we all understand and are willing to help each other out,” said Whitney.
The official ribbon cutting is this Saturday, including many family festivities and more fundraising. The goal is to raise $30,000 by October, which would go toward building a playground.
The first official day of school is Monday, August 14.
For more information, go to Evolveschooloflearning.com.
