The Ware family continues the fight to educate their children

A mother will go to great lengths for her children and that is proven time and again by Stacy Ware.  She and her husband Daniel have three children: Meredith, 13; Zach, 11; and Peyton, 8.  Zach and Peyton were diagnosed with autism – Zach, Level 3, the most severe form and Peyton a Level 2, a mid-level form of autism.

When it comes to her children, and their education, Stacy chooses faith over fear daily.

Both Zach and Peyton attended a specialized school, with the assistance of a Special Needs Education Scholarship Account, they wouldn’t otherwise have.

“It was great for them,” said Stacy.

In her first four months at the school, Peyton went from speaking zero words to 100 words.

“Now she’s talking and reading sight words.  We couldn’t get that type of education in a regular school district.”

Peyton and Zach made great advances in school because the Wares were able to find the setting that worked for their children.

Zach was diagnosed early on with 47 XYY syndrome, a rare chromosomal disorder caused by the presence of an extra Y chromosome.  There is a 50 percent chance that those who have 47 XYY syndrome will develop autism and Zach was one of those who did.

As the time came for Zach to enroll in school, Stacy and Daniel enrolled their son in the public school in their hometown of Florence.”

Zach did fine through first grade, but as the district began to make changes, Zach suffered.  The district office failed to recognize his potential, Stacy said, and attempted to take away his special needs services.

Stacy went to battle for her son.

“I had to fight because that was not acceptable,” she said.  “I’ve learned that as a parent of a special needs child you have to fight for everything.  You have to know all of your rights and stay up to date on the laws and rules.”

She knew what was owed to her son by law and did not back down.

“I told them that they were required to give Zach all of his services,” she said.

The district began Zach’s services again, but it was clear to the Wares that things were not improving.  They began looking for an education alternative for Zach.

“They weren’t teaching him at that point,” she said.  “They were just passing him on.”

That’s when the Wares enrolled Zach in the Spectrum Academy at New Summit and through a very structured routine, instruction and therapy, they discovered that Zach enjoyed school.

“We found that he knew math, he knew his shapes and colors, and he knew letters,” Stacy said.  “He learned to write his name and to say a few words.  It’s very emotional to see your child write his name or be able to sit in a Sunday school class at church.”

The Wares, like many other families of children with special needs, found themselves struggling to pay tuition costs for Zach and Peyton that totaled over $25,000 per year.

“That was the cost of a new car each year,” said Stacy.  “People don’t have that kind of money to spend.  We found ourselves burning through our savings.”

The family applied for the state’s Special Needs Education Scholarship Account (ESA) which enables parents to direct their state education tax dollars to the educational setting and services of their choice.  After years of waiting for their name to be chosen in a lottery of about 200 people, the legislature, in 2019, funded the wait list giving an ESA to all the children who were waiting for one.

“It was like we could finally breathe when we got an ESA,” Stacy said.  “It was life changing for our family because on top of the expenses of education, you have medical expenses as well as expenses for equipment. It never ends so any little bit helps.”

The Wares enjoyed the ESA for several years before their children’s school closed.

“It was heartbreaking to give up our ESA,” Stacy said, “but there were no other options for our children.”

Today, Zach and Peyton attend Blue Sky Behavior Therapy in Ridgeland, an outpatient clinic providing behavioral services for children with disabilities.  The Wares have sold their home in Florence and moved to Madison to be closer to the required therapies for Zach and Peyton.

“Before we moved, I was spending over seven hours a day in my car,” said Stacy, “because we live 45 minutes away.  I had to pick them up for lunch every day and so I just drove to the clinic and waited in my car all day.”

The travel was hard on the family because their oldest daughter Meredith was still in school in Florence.

“If Meredith needed me, I had to pick up Zach and Peyton early and drive 45 minutes back to Florence to get to her,” said Stacy.  “It’s been very hard.”

The therapies provided at Blue Sky have been great for Zach and Peyton.  Zach is learning to use a speaking device to communicate, and Peyton continues to excel.

“We are going to stay at Blue Sky one more year so Zach can practice using his speaking device so he can communicate in the classroom,” said Stacy, “and then we will be I the Madison schools.  The good thing about being here is that Blue Sky does a lot of shadowing in the Madison schools and has a great working relationship with them.  It’s going to be good for us.  There are going to be more opportunities for our kids because there are activities and things that children with special needs can participate in that we didn’t have in Florence.”

While Stacy is happy with the plan they have developed for her family, she is still frustrated with the very limited options that are available to her children.

“There are so many kids in Mississippi who have no other options.  We would love to have a school in Mississippi that is for the exceptional child,” said Stacy.  “Mississippi owes that to us, and they should provide that for us.”