BLACKFOOT, Idaho (KIFI)– It has been a very emotional past few days for parents and students enrolled at Bingham Academy High School in Blackfoot. The school is closing its doors due to a lack of enrollment, and it reportedly may not reopen.
Shaunna Cox is a parent of two students who were meant to attend Bingham Academy this year.
“It’s been rough. I wish that there could have been more notification so that we could have had time to get our kids set up for another school. I had already went and purchased everything for their school year,” said Cox. “It would have been nice to know ahead of time, but I understand that they were trying to save the school themselves. My daughter has tourette’s, so finding a social place for her where she can go in and be able to relax and get educated it’s hard.”
Bingham Academy High School predominantly serves students with disabilities. Many of the parents told us they are too heartbroken to appear on camera. Some say sending their child to public school is just not an option.
The school board shared the news at a meeting where few parents attended. A lot of parents say they learned of the news through word of mouth and now are scrambling to find a new school. Many of the parents tell us they don’t hold any ill will toward the school. They say they know the board tried to save the school, and they tell us those hurting the most are the children involved.
“At this school. I have never felt more accepted than anywhere else. I’ve been to multiple different schools, and because of my disability, it’s been really hard. But this school, they accept me and they love me,” said Shaunna Cox, a student going into her junior year of high school.
The principal has made parents aware of the closure, but the school has not yet made the official announcement. It’s expected they will do so at the next school board meeting on Wednesday, August 27th.
Many parents are reaching out to donors, asking them to save the school. They say they are hoping for a miracle.
