Refuge at Kestrel Heights

I wake up every morning, drive my children across town, take my lunch break at 3 p.m., drive them home and return to work again. I make this sacrifice to deliver my children to Kestrel Heights School. Now the school will close, and where will we go?

My sons are very tall African-American boys with special needs and I fear that they will face discrimination, not only in public, but in their schools.

We found refuge at Kestrel Heights.

I was running from a lottery system that somehow never seems to choose us, and brags of specialized schools for gifted children where I am sure my sons will be marginalized, and ignored.

I was running from large area public schools where people tell stories of rampant marijuana use, excessive suspensions, and high school drop-out rates through the roof.

We did not land at Kestrel by mistake.

At Kestrel we found a school culture that fosters racial harmony with a diverse student body, faculty and staff, that came from all racial groups and walks of life and work together as a family.

There is no way to prove the systematic way that in certain settings a child’s confidence is attacked, but any mother of African-American, Latino or special needs children, can attest to the same.

I love all of the young people at Kestrel. And now I worry for them. The school system is dumping them into these large institutions that can damage them, and change their fates forever.

This story was originally published April 18, 2017 at 12:42 PM with the headline "Refuge at Kestrel Heights."