Sanctuary for autistic students. What to know about new autism school in Fayetteville.

Editor's note: This is an updated version of the original story.

In 2011, former public school teacher Jessica Respus, who holds a doctorate in educational leadership teaching, learning and development, opened her first school, which later became Cumberland County Christian School.

A couple of years later, she launched a program dedicated to students with special needs.

“I noticed that private schools weren’t servicing students with special needs,” Respus said Thursday. “So I started a program, and it grew.”

Because of capacity limits at Cumberland County Christian School, Respus had to turn away a few students, nearly all of whom were diagnosed as autistic.

Cumberland County Christian School is already at capacity for the 2023-24 school year with 125 students, but Respus is opening a new school to specifically serve children with mild to moderate autism.

Beyond The Spectrum Institute, 803 Stamper Road in Fayetteville, will serve kindergarten through 12th grade students, she said.

“Our mission is to provide a supportive and tailored educational environment that caters to the unique needs of these students, offering them the opportunity to thrive academically and socially,” Respus said.

By Thursday, applications had already been received for 30 students. The school will serve 50 kids total, she said.

Beyond The Spectrum Institute team

Overseeing the school will be director Tirea Sansbury, Cumberland County Christian School’s current director of special education, who’s spent more than 20 years in the special education field.

Jessica Barkley, a special education compliance specialist, will also be part of the team, Respus said.

During a tour of the school Thursday, Sansbury said each classroom will have 12-15 students with a teacher and teacher’s assistant.

Despite being a private school, all teachers will be required to have college degrees, which is more than the state requires for private school teachers, Respus said.

The school’s teachers will also collaborate with former public school specialists in autism and applied behavior.

“We are not just educators; we are advocates, innovators and champions for every child's right to a personalized and effective education,” Respus said.

Classrooms and education plans

Sansbury said the school will be separated by grades, with high school classrooms for ninth through 12th grade; middle school classrooms for sixth through eighth grades; and elementary school classrooms for kindergarten through second grades and third through fifth grades.

Classrooms will be equipped with computers, while Apple MacBooks and iPads will be provided to students, she said.

Each classroom will also have a “calm down” area if a student feels overstimulated, and there will be a sensory room if they need to be removed from the classroom.

Barkley said the team wants to ensure sensory needs are met, while individualized education plans and behavior plans are developed and constantly monitored for each student.

“Our goal is we want these kids to leave here going to college or getting a job or being a productive member of society … Let's figure out on how to make sure this kid has as much quality of life as possible,” Barkley said.

Barkley said the school is also coordinating with the local public school district to comply with federal regulations and establish individualized education plans for students. The plans are data-driven through frequent assessments to monitor student progress.

Sansbury said parents will be involved in the individualized education plan process, which will be evaluated annually to determine if changes are needed.

The school’s leadership team said the “core focus” is to provide quality instruction that aligns with each student's level of learning.

The curriculum will combine academic instruction within a Christian framework, and technology like virtual reality and robotics, Sansbury said.

Other specialized program offerings will include:

• Occupational therapy

• Small group learning

• Individualized sessions

• Occupational course of study

• Summer tutoring

Sansbury said that in addition to the lesson plans and therapies, the school will have an indoor playground, electives like art and music and extracurricular activities.

Sansbury and Barkley said the school will work with the students' applied behavior analysis providers. Applied behavior analysis is an autism intervention that teaches behaviors by breaking down tasks into small steps and training in a precise way, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Respus and Sansbury said the enrollment process is still open for the school, which starts its school year after Labor Day.

Sansbury said the team wants to meet with parents and have them visit the facility to see if the school “is going to be the best for their student.”

“We would like to think of our school as a sanctuary where each child’s unique abilities are celebrated and nurtured,” she said.

Parents who are interested in applying for their child to attend the school may do so online at cumberlandccs.com/get-started-with-beyond-the-spectrum/ or by emailing admin@beyondthespectrum.education.

Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Does Fayetteville have an autism school?