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Leesburg special needs school closes abruptly amid lease dispute
New details are emerging about what led to the closure of a school for students with special needs.
LEESBURG, Va. - New details are emerging about what led to the closure of a school for students with special needs.
Locked gates and no trespassing signs greeted students and parents who were hoping to return to Aurora School in Leesburg, Virginia. FOX 5 has learned the owners of the land wanted to expand the 16-acre campus and share the property with other merchants.
The Aurora School reportedly did not.
FOX 5’s Tisha Lewis reports the Aurora School was given three months' notice about the possible shutdown after nearly four years of negotiations.
The Aurora School on The Paxton Group campus is tucked away in a residential neighborhood in Leesburg. The families who attend school at Aurora have children and young adults with special needs and say finding other options for education is not so easy and the school’s principal agrees.
"Anymore days that they stay home is a regression for them. The parents are suffering, they don’t understand why their routine has been interrupted," said Suhad Abdallah, Principal at the Aurora School.
Families protested outside the Loudoun County courthouse Thursday morning — protesters sounding off about an abrupt closure and lock out at Aurora School in Leesburg.
Families scoff at the so-called lease dispute reportedly prompting the lockout, saying the owners of the school want them "off their campus."
Loudoun Now first reporting about the years-long dispute between the owners of the 16-acre campus and The Arc of Loudoun which operates the school.
FOX 5 has learned at least fifty students with severe intellectual disabilities attended school here, described as a safe home away from home. Many reportedly rely on a routine, specialized instruction and daily support. Even so, The Paxton Group says the closure should come as no surprise to The Arc’s Aurora School.
"They have rejected 8 offers and we have little surprise … they’ve been in default for a year and the least expired August, 9, 2024," said Mary Louise Leipheimer, a trustee for The Paxton Trust.
Leesburg Mayor Kelly Burk, also a former Special Education Teacher says, "As a former Special Ed teacher, this is heartbreaking. We just shouldn’t be doing this to kids."
Burk became emotional discussing the dispute amid Thursday morning’s protest.
The Arc of Loudoun’s CEO reportedly says the school has found a new home and is awaiting state approval before re-opening. Meanwhile, parents say they’re left scrambling until the school reopens with few options available. Plus, many say their children who are navigating special needs cannot wait.