School Choice Helps Student with Disabilities Reclaim the Path to Postsecondary Success

Before Trevor Beauchamp of La Crescenta, California, decided it was time to change schools, his greatest challenge was getting to class on time.

Trevor was born with spastic cerebral palsy, a condition that severely limits his mobility and requires extra effort, even when walking a few steps. The challenge was compounded by the extremely hilly terrain on his school’s campus. And although he had access to the school elevator, he still labored to get from one class to the next in the allotted three minutes.

Trevor willingly embraced this daily struggle because he always understood the importance of education. He was determined to let nothing get in the way of his academic success.

But then he broke his knee.

“All of a sudden, there was this horrible pain and my knee gave out sending everything in my hands — binders, books and all — downstairs flying. And just as that happened, the bell rang,” said Trevor.

The injury set him back in more ways than one. Up until the week his knee gave out, he had a 4.0 grade point average and prided himself on taking Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses. And the year before that, at his 8th grade promotion, he was named academic student of the year. Trevor was thriving in the face of adversity.

But the injury proved tough to overcome, and Trevor was given little accommodation by his school administrators. So Trevor and his mother began to re-evaluate his school options.

“We were very frustrated when we heard the school’s counselors say they really weren’t concerned about Trevor going to college! They just wanted to make sure he graduated high school,” said Trevor’s mother, Dawn.

That’s all it took for the family to decide it was time for a change.

Their search led them to Sage Oak Charter School, a school that balances flexibility with accountability and high academic excellence for families seeking a non-traditional educational experience. The school’s emphasis on cultivating lifelong-learners and working in close collaboration with parents and students was exactly what they were looking for. Most importantly, Sage Oak provides an educational experience tailored to the individual needs and interests of their students.

For Trevor, the fit was perfect. He is now able to take the classes he needs to pursue his dream of going to college — all from the familiar comforts of his own home. His new school has rekindled the spark of learning excitement in Trevor. He credits Sage Oak for helping him get his life back on track.

“The teachers really care about my education,” Trevor said. ”And now I’m back on the path to success and college.”