ESU 7 Opens New Learning Academy

COLUMBUS - The ESU center in Columbus now has a new facility to assist children from the 19 school districts that it serves.

ESU 7 recently finished construction on a brand new learning academy, and provided residents with a tour of the facility during an open house on Thursday. The academy will support students who struggle with academic, behavioral, social, and emotional skills, and will serve students aged 5-21.

Students will have individualized advancement plans based on their grade or behavioral needs, and Special Education Director Darus Mettler says the goal of the academy is to prepare students to return to their schools once they finish the ESU program.

"The goal of the program is to get the students to transition back, so the great plan that is set up here is social emotional learning, which will happen with all of our students," Mettler said. "The academic piece will be the curriculum from the district, so once they have met the level of being able to transition back, they have been through the curriculum that the district's using."

The academy includes multiple classrooms, along with a wholeness room, mental health room, restart room, dignity rooms, and an activity room. Anne Baptiste, a teacher at the academy, says that the facility has all of the things she's ever dreamed of having as an educator.

"Having the wholeness room, where kids can have their sensory needs met, is really unbelievable," Baptiste said. "The biggest thing is the services we're going to be able to offer, kids will be able to get their mental health care here while they're coming to school, and we'll also have a specially trained staff to meet their needs behaviorally and academically, that way we're able to get them stabilized and performing well to go back to their school."

ESU's social emotional education focuses on five competencies: self awareness, self management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making. Students will all begin at Level 1 in the program, and will work their way up to Level 4, which is then followed by the transition process back to their school district.

Student Services Principal Leanne Blanchard says that she's excited to be able to provide the academy's services to all of the school districts that ESU 7 serves.

"This is something that they've been wanting, and is something that is needed more and more in today's society," Blanchard said. "Meeting the needs of students at an individual level, where we can do exactly what that kid needs to succeed is very exciting."

The first day of school for the academy is set for Friday, August 16th.