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PLEASANT GROVE — A school for children with high-functioning autism has officially opened its doors. Spectrum Academy in Pleasant Grove had its grand opening celebration Monday.
The first Spectrum Academy, located in North Salt Lake, opened nine years ago. It currently has more than 700 children on its waiting list.
To meet the demand, school board members decided to purchase land for a second school and broke ground in Pleasant Grove in February 2014.
Families are moving from Canada, Connecticut and Texas for their children to attend the academy. Emily Fackrell moved to Utah for her son Logan to have a better education.
Logan was diagnosed with autism when he was 2 years old, and his mother said it's been a challenge to find a good-fitting classroom for him.
"For three months, he was coming home with his folder signed for behavior. He's hitting. He's spitting," Fackrell said.
Logan will now be part of the first kindergarten class at the new Pleasant Grove campus.
There are currently 360 students enrolled at the charter school. The 32 classrooms seat 12 to 15 students each with a teacher and a para-professional, and the lessons are catered to every child's individual needs.
School board member Marney DeVroom said the specialized teaching style has made a big difference for her own son, who is a student at the North Salt Lake campus.
"He blossomed, and he has friends," DeVroom said. "It's a huge difference for all of us — the whole family."
Parents interested in enrolling their children in Spectrum Academy of Pleasant Grove can still do so. There are about 100 students on the waiting list, and about 10 to 15 spots are expected to open up between now and October.
