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NOVA Day School steps up to help former Aurora School students
Parents are reacting after a day school in northern Virginia has decided to step up and offer to take over the Aurora School in Leesburg after it abruptly shut down.
LOUDOUN CO., Va. - Parents are reacting after a day school in northern Virginia has decided to step up and offer to take over the Aurora School in Leesburg after it abruptly shut down.
The closure left the parents of scores of students with special needs scrambling to find other options.
What we know:
The proposal from NOVA Day School comes amid several failed attempts to reach a deal with The Arc of Loudoun, which operates The Aurora School.
The Arc shut down the school after a leasing dispute with the land’s owners, The Paxton Trust Group.
FOX 5 is told that at least fifty families are impacted by the closure.
This massive proposal by the NOVA Day School comes just four days after parents and families took to the streets outside the Loudoun County courthouse protesting the Aurora School’s closure.
What they're saying:
The Paxton Trust Group, which owns the 16-acres of land, says the NOVA Day School takeover would be welcome.
"NOVA Day is a well-established educational organization that serves clients with autism, learning differences, ADHD. They are well known, they are licensed in the state of Virginia, so, they are really a miracle in terms of this current situation," said Mary Louise Leipheimer, a trustee with the Paxton Trust Group.
NOVA Day School also has experience educating students who have special needs.
When asked if he would welcome this other entity coming in and taking over, Aurora School parent Matthew Lawler had this to say, "I don’t know. I have to talk to them and find out what kind of programs and teachers they have. It’s not an easy thing to decide on a school for my son."
What's next:
FOX 5 reached out via phone and email to The Arc of Loudoun who would have to sign off on any potential acquisition. We are also still awaiting their response.
"We could hire all of the staff. We have an LOI signed with the Paxton Trust and we believe the students are still in the lurch," said Jonathan Trichter, CEO of NOVA Day School. "We are prepared to move quickly."
We’re told the timeline if the proposal is approved could be as soon as next week.
Right now, we’ve learned the students have been out of school for three weeks and many rely on routines and extra support.