Michelle Thompson Hall and her son travel 40 miles daily to a specialized school. Their commute continues since the Atlanta School Board rejected an application in September for a proposed charter school.
Hall, a supporter of the public charter school called Tapestry, said she moved her son from the Atlanta Public School District to his current school because APS was unable to meet his specialized education needs.
“Getting the attention of the administrators and initiating an IEP (Individualized Education Program) was a frustrating process and took a long time,” Hall said. “Advocating for all the accommodations and support he needed was (also) interrupted and suspended by the pandemic.
“The special education support he did receive was not adequate,” Hall said.
Additionally, Hall noticed a change in her son’s behavior, and his mental well-being declined while attending APS. She said she had to find an alternative for his neurodiverse needs.
“My child, who loved school, was brought to tears on a daily basis. My joyful and naturally extroverted child turned inward and depressed,” Hall said. “Thus, we made the decision to find an educational alternative.”
The term neurodivergent, neurodiverse or neurodiversity, according to the Cleveland Clinic, refers to people whose brains operate differently, but it is not a medical term. Because there is no clear standard for how a brain should work, using the phrase avoids labeling people as normal or abnormal.
Tapestry’s approach to serving neurodiverse students
According to Matthew Tyson, president and CEO at Tapestry Public Charter School, Tapestry has a unique educational approach to teaching neurodivergent students that differs from the support currently available in the district schools.
“Tapestry provides an individualized educational environment that focuses on the needs of each student. Neurodiversities are factored into the fabric of the school and not as an afterthought,” Tyson said. “Students with and without neurodiversities are taught together, participate in school activities, and are included together.”
Tapestry currently operates one location within the Dekalb County School District, and they seek approval for operation within the APS system. However, the Atlanta School Board unanimously rejected their application.
“We are disappointed by their decision and saddened for the over 600 APS families who supported us,” Tyson said. “We still believe that we would be a valuable addition to APS or another school district that strives to meet the needs of a diverse student body.”
Familiar with the needs of neurodiverse students, Tyson believes in the work Tapestry does and served as the school’s first assistant principal eight years ago.
“I worked in Dekalb for my entire career but was looking for a way to impact the lives of more neurodivergent learners,” Tyson said. “I grew up as the oldest of four neurodiverse boys and spent my entire teaching career as a self-contained special education teacher.”
Tyson said he witnessed special education students being marginalized and not included in the school culture. He said he has a mission to end these practices.
“All students should be celebrated for their unique talents, and all schools should be set up in a way that allows those students to pursue their dreams in an authentically inclusive setting,” Tyson said. “My goal has always been to support a school that genuinely understands and respects the needs of neurodiverse learners, and Tapestry is that school.”
Why APS denied Tapestry’s charter application
Several members of the school board were approached for comment, and none responded.
However, in an interview with decaturish.com, prior to being elected as the new District 3 Atlanta School Board member, Ken Zeff said, “The district must do more to support its students with special needs. Too often, parents are compelled to go above and beyond to get proper services for their children. This has dramatic equity implications for parents who are denied agency to advocate for their kids.”
Zeff, the executive director of an education nonprofit, said that addressing the regular vacancies of special education teachers marks a starting point.
“We must invest in our teachers by streamlining bureaucracy and providing them more voice in how they manage their caseload and the students in their care,” Zeff said. “We must be open to all options to serve this population that is rightfully looking to the adults in the system to support their individual education journey.”
According to the Atlanta Board of Education’s meeting agenda dated Sep. 5, the document states a recommended action of denial of Tapestry’s application based on the following reasons:
– The current underutilization of a significant number of schools
– The existing staff shortages currently impacting the district’s Special Education Department
– Tapestry’s ability to maintain demographic parity in light of its issues with doing so at its Dekalb location
In response to the board’s decision, Tyson said Tapestry represents a very diverse student body, and the Atlanta School Board’s recommendation represents erroneous facts.
“We make concerted efforts to recruit from across the district. APS failed to acknowledge that a significant number of our students are neither black nor white, resulting in a skewed representation, Tyson said. “In addition, they failed to acknowledge that 40% of our students qualify for free or reduced lunch using incomplete data, which represented an inaccurate presentation.”
Hall said the Atlanta Board of Education’s denial of the charter school demonstrates a larger issue and has nothing to do with catering to neurodivergent students.
“They’ve never articulated an interest in supporting special education or neurodiverse students,” Hall said. “The board didn’t want to engage in a new charter; they were too distracted by their termination of the superintendent. I believe APS’s verdict had nothing to do with serving neurodiverse student needs and everything to do with the dysfunction in the school system.”
Next steps for neurodiverse APS students
Following the rejection of their application, Tapestry’s administration anticipates finding new ways to grow their footprint.
“The Tapestry Board is still assessing its next steps,” Tyson said. “The Board is committed to replication and is reviewing all potential alternative paths for expanding our model to the metro Atlanta community.”
And although Hall will continue making the daily trips for now, she still said Tapestry is the right solution for APS.
“Adding Tapestry to their offerings would be a way to promote their focus on inclusion,” Hall said. “I believe Tapestry is a proven model and a great addition to the mosaic of educational options in APS.”
