Summit Academy Lorain future uncertain amid staffing shortage

LORAIN — Staffing shortages have left the future uncertain for middle and high school students at Summit Academy Lorain. In a statement to The Chronicle-Telegram, spokeswoman Denise Henry said the school's governing board has not voted to close the school yet, but did contact parents about the uncertainty it is facing. At the same time, families of middle schoolers were encouraged to apply for enrollment in Summit Academy's expanded Community School for Alternative Learners — Lorain. Previously an elementary building, Henry said in an email it will now be combined with the middle school to serve kindergarten through eighth grade. She said the most recent enrollment count was 28 students in grades nine to 12 and 26 in sixth through eighth grade. Summit Academy is a public community school primarily serving students with Autism, ADD and ADHD. Lorain Schools provides transportation via Auxilio Transportation Services to students attending Summit Academy who would normally be enrolled in the public school. On Friday evening Lorain Schools' EMIS/PowerSchool Coordinator Angie Reynolds estimated there are about 62 students attending Summit who live in the district's boundaries, with 42 of those previously attending Lorain Schools. Lorain Schools Executive Director of Operations Mary Mayse estimated the district transports 49 students, with one morning route and two afternoon routes that could be eliminated or changed depending on what Summit Academy does moving forward. Three of Yolanda Hernandez's children attend Summit Academy's high school. She said initially Summit Academy pushed back its start date to after Labor Day because of staffing. But then the academy told families they plan to close the high school until staffing improves. "I really love Summit, we've been there since kindergarten. It's always been such a welcoming, warm place," she said. "… You can't make people apply — and it's not even just Summit. There's a lot of shortages everywhere." Hernandez said she didn't want to find her kids a new school, just to pull them out again weeks later. Her daughter Jade is going into 10th grade, while twins Dominic and Dylan are going into 11th. Dominic is autistic, she said, and while she had concerns about their move to Lorain Preparatory Academy, she knows several of the teachers and administrators there and has a backup plan with Murray Ridge School, if needed. "I hear a lot of other families are struggling to find a school," she said. "There's a couple seniors I know that all the senior (classes) are all full. I feel really bad it's their last year and they have to do all this looking for a new school." Summit Academy's governing board will convene later this month to readdress the high school's status for the 2023-24 school year, Henry said in an email. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.