JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Dozens of local children with special needs won’t have to look for a new school.
Standing in Mainspring Academy is something Alana Kiely almost couldn’t imagine six months ago.
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The mom said, “There’s just not a lot of options, so, it was panic time.”
Action News Jax reporter Beth Rousseau first talked to Kiely in February, just after she received an email saying the special needs school her son has attended for years was shutting down.
“You don’t feel safe leaving your child that they don’t understand or people don’t understand them because you think about them all day long," Kiely said.
Mainspring’s parents came up with a plan to keep the academy open.
Families raised $130,000 and found a new location.
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“Every time someone comes in here and they’re super excited about seeing the place, it warms my heart," said Dina Parisi who heads up the school.
The new space has a sensory room, mock apartment and nine classrooms.
It’s more than enough space for the school’s 43 students.
Parisi said the school is not in the clear just yet; the staff is still trying to raise $370,000 by the end of the upcoming school year.
“I love the school. I love the families. I love the staff, so for me it's been a lot of hard work, but it’s totally worth it," she said.
Right now it’s a work in progress, but Kiely says the new classrooms will be ready for her son and other students on Aug.12.
The school is holding a ribbon cutting on Aug. 9 at 1 p.m.
For more information on donating to Mainspring Academy, click HERE.