Board of Education hears about Mainstay Academy program

Butts County students diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum now have more than one program that can help them learn.

During the March 13Butts County Board of Education meeting, Butts County School System Student Services Director Leonora Clarkson gave an overview of the the Griffin Regional Educational Service Agency Mainstay Academy program that some local students attend.

Mainstay Academy is at the A.Z. Kelsey school building in Griffin attended by local middle and high school students with emotional or behavioral conditions. There also is a local classroom for some half a dozen students at Jackson Elementary School staffed with a teacher and two paraprofessionals. Both programs allow more one-on-one time between staff and students, Clarkson said.

"This is unique to our area," Clarkson said.

Butts County students are sent for a half-day to Mainstay Academy and attend classes for a half-day at their home schools, Clarkson said.

"RESA serves as an omnibus for local funding" so it helps Butts County serve students who need Mainstay services at a lower cost, Clarkson said.

The Mainstay program offers autistic students extra training through their school years that could help keep them out of residential or institutional programs later in life. It does this by teaching them coping such as self-calming techniques, Clarkson said.

Mainstay has 24 programs developed by the Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Support. The programs include crisis intervention and a focus on the individual child. Area-wide, it serves around 150 students total, Clarkson said.

"Mainstay creates a network of resources from around the state. The behavioral supports make Mainstay very different," Clarkson said. "It isn't a permanent placement like it was before. We're trying to prevent a child from being institutionalized."

The program has the same educational standards as regular classes and students take the same Georgia Performance Standards tests. Students who graduate through the Mainstay program can walk at graduation with their fellow seniors, Clarkson said.

Class sizes are smaller at Mainstay Academy and staff members have been trained to support students who have behavioral issues. They teach social skills and anger management practices in addition to regular studies, Clarkson said.

There are also more staff members per student, including counselors, behavior interventionists, coordinators and social workers.

"It's a very different environment," Clarkson said. "They (students) just need more space. They can go to the gym and the playground and can still take part in school programs."

She said there are around 22 Butts County students in the programs, with six to seven students served at Jackson Elementary School and 12 to 18 at Mainstay Academy.

"It's a part of education people normally don't get to see," board chairman Millard Daniel said.