Parents of students on the autism spectrum will have a new educational option to consider when Autism Collier Charter School opens in August of next year, following approval in early October by the Collier County Public School Board.

According to a late October press release, the K-12 charter school was approved by Superintendent Leslie Ricciardelli under her “delegated authority” as part of the consent agenda for the Oct. 8 regular meeting of the school board, which was canceled as Hurricane Milton approached before making landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast on Oct. 9.

A location for the new school has not been announced but is expected to be revealed within the next couple of months, according to ACCS board chair Jen Mitchell, who said the board is negotiating with two existing locations that are “centrally located” and with “fantastic facilities.”

In a phone interview, Mitchell and ACCS Principal Emily Kafle — who are co-founders of the school along with ACCS board member Stephanie Nordin — discussed goals for the new school, which they describe as a “much-needed specialized environment for students with au- tism.”

ACCS, like all charter schools in the county, is “sponsored” by the Collier County school district with the state. It enters into a contract with the district and pays an administrative fee that partially pays for the district staffers who help support charters. The new charter school will be the only tuition-free public option in Collier County — aside from enrollment in a traditional public school — for students on the autism spectrum. Able Academy is a private school option charging tuition for grades K-12, along with clinics including Mindful Masterpieces, also K-12, and Stepping Stones, which covers only elementary grades.

Mitchell said the goal of ACCS is to provide a safe, nurturing and innovative environment for the students, which will include those with significant behavioral challenges.

“They are then empowered, and their families are empowered, to experience growth and reach their full potential in all areas,” she said.

Kafle, who was previously the director of special education for Collier County Public Schools for more than five years, said the ACCS operating budget for year one will be $2.8 million, which comes from the Florida Department of Education and is “passed through” CCPS.

She said enrollment for year one will be around 65 students, with plans to double that by year two before reaching maximum enrollment of 300 in year four. There are currently more than 7,500 students with special needs, including autism, enrolled in Collier County public schools.

Kafle said ACCS is meant to be not just a school, but a support system for both students and their families that will include extracurricular activities and other opportunities for entire families to be involved.

“We’re hoping for our students to experience growth in all areas — academic, social, emotional, behavioral communication — while really honing in on that family aspect so it’s not just for the students but for their families,” she said. “We’re excited to also offer before- and after-school care, which is something that’s not available for our kids with significant disabilities in the public school system.”

Mitchell, a former Collier County school board member, said she hopes CCPS will see ACCS as a “partner” in the district’s work to help meet the needs of all students.

“They [CCPS] do a fantastic job addressing their special needs population, but what we found is that when you really target that very specific audience, you can really improve outcomes for those students,” Mitchell said. “We hope that the district will see us as a partner helping to take some things off their plate and allow them to continue to do the great work they’re doing while we provide a very targeted and innovative model at our school.”

Mitchell said the plans for ACCS had been in development for “about 18 months to two years,” and were inspired by the South Florida Autism Charter School in Miami-Dade County.

Kafle added that as the plans developed, it was important to the founders that the school be a charter and not a private school.

“The reason that going the charter route was important to us is that it’s tuition-free, so parents do not have to pay for it,” Kafle said. “It also guarantees highly qualified teachers. In private schools, teachers don’t necessarily have to have state certification or even a degree in education. Being a public charter guarantees that our teachers are certified, and also ensures that students are instructed in state standards.”

Kafle said ACCS will have Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) principles in place and will have “high expectations and rigor” when it comes to academics, with parents and students protected by state and federal regulations including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, “and that was really important to us.”

She said the ratio of teachers to students will be three to one, with one teacher and two educational assistants per classroom of nine students. Grades will include K-12, but Florida law allows a transition phase so that students with disabilities can defer their diploma to access public education ages 18 through 22.

On the governance side, the current ACCS board was selected “because of their work in the special needs community,” according to Mitchell. In addition to Mitchell, Nordin and Kafle, the board includes Gary Price, vice chair; Marc Shapiro; Pia Myers-Wolfe, M.D.; and Denyse Murphy. Board members can serve three four-year terms.

CCPS board chair Kelly Mason — who is also the founder and volunteer head of another charter school, Mason Classical Academy — said in a phone interview that as a proponent of school choice she was very supportive of the ACCS application, “because at the end of the day, these are all our students.

“I do like the idea that there are options available for families,” Mason said. “This could be a really great option for certain families, and the idea is that charter schools, per statute, are supposed to be innovative and different. Hopefully this school offers something that they can’t get in the district schools, but they can get it here.”

Asked how important this educational option will be for students on the autism spectrum, CCPS Superintendent Leslie Ricciardelli said in a written response that the ACCS charter application noted that while Collier County boasts excellent schools and strong support for students with disabilities, the charter school will provide another choice for parents “specifically tailored to the needs of students with significant autism and their families.”

“As an educator who started my career working with students with disabilities, I understand the unique needs of students with significant cognitive, motor and behavioral challenges,” Ricciardelli said. “I support any program with the ability to provide children with the opportunity to meet their full potential both academically and socially.”

Ricciardelli said the school will extend its reach beyond Collier County to serve surrounding areas, including Lee, Hendry, Glades and Charlotte counties, with enrollment open to students from any Florida county.