Changes to SCCPSS autism program leaves displaced families frustrated

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) -After recent changes to Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools autism programs, parents tell us they’re frustrated with the school’s communication.

“Up till recently, I’ve actually been very happy with the school system,” said Whitney Owens, the mother of a nine-year-old with autism. “It’s changed because the communication has been terrible, that’s the biggest part of it. When you’re a parent who doesn’t really know what’s going on and you have a child that can’t speak for themselves, that’s really important that we get good communication going back and forth.”

With less than two weeks left before the school year, a private county school board meeting led to 131 students with autism receiving changes to school location.

The district says they’ve reached out and connected with each of the families involved in these changes, but for Owens, it’s about a lack of input regarding her child.

“We didn’t have a say in it, no one asked us what we thought, no one interviewed us about our children and even when I spoke to her teacher I said ‘what happened here’ ‘well they asked me like two questions then they made a decision about your child,” Owens said.

These changes can be a major setback for any child with autism, and according to Grace Autism Service’s Diana Reagin:

“It could take a week, it could take a month, it could take a year, but every time we start over we’re throwing these kids into the chaos,” Reagin said.

Reagin is an applied behavior analyst (ABA), and mentioned the complicated nature of programming an educational experience for children with autism.

“They would have to be child-specific, family specific. What might work with one kid or family might not translate to a different one,” Reagin said.

The district accommodates this with their Individual Education Program (IEP), which looks to give each specific child their own personal educational experience.

Despite the frustrations, Owens remains optimistic about her child’s education.

“Overall we’ve had a pretty good experience, and the fact that we even offer such a program is pretty incredible compared to other public schools in the nation,” Owens said.

For the full statement from SCCPSS, see the below block.

SCCPSS Statement on Special Education Changes in 2025-26 SY

The district is aware of concerns expressed by some parents of autistic students who will be affected by planned school moves this school year.  There are a total of 131 students affected by these planned moves. Two parent meetings were held on July 21st to provide our families a comprehensive overview of the newly restructured autism classrooms which are designed to better support student’s academic, social, communication, and behavioral development.

The restructuring is being done to meet the growing needs of our students.  Six new autism classrooms have been added and are strategically placed in each quadrant of the county to ensure equitable access to all.  Previously, autistic students were grouped in broader grade bans and taught using both alternate and general education curricula within the same classroom.  The restructuring will benefit students by allowing for:

• More targeted programming aligned with students’ Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)
• Narrowed grade bands: K–2, 3–5, and 6–8
• Intentional instructional focus on either the Georgia Alternate Assessment (GAA) standards or the Georgia Milestones Assessment System (GMAS) curriculum
• Location assignments based on proximity to home, in accordance with IDEA guidelines

A total of 452 parents of students in the autism program received formal notification letters outlining these changes, including detailed descriptions of the new classroom models. Families received a second letter inviting them to the parent meetings, which also included their child’s upcoming school assignment.  131 students were impacted by changes in school locations. These changes do not alter the services specified in students’ IEPs, so additional IEP meetings were not required.

The timing of the notifications was based on spring planning and programming projections, which included newly eligible students, incoming transfers, students transitioning from Preschool Intervention (PSI), military compassionate assignments, and those returning from full-time Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) programs. Each student’s IEP was reviewed to ensure the most appropriate classroom assignment and location. We regret that some families felt that our schedule did not provide them adequate time to prepare their student for a move.

Sheila Blanco, Public Information Manager for SCCPSS