Buckingham Exceptional Student Center to relocate in August

BUCKINGHAM, Fla. — The School District of Lee County notified parents from Buckingham Exceptional Student Center the school will relocate to the Royal Palm Exceptional School campus for the next school year.

Administrators say they will run as separate schools under the same roof. Parents received the update from the school district by mail or email this week.

The letter states the district is "excited to share an update regarding the future of our school community." Buckingham Exceptional Student Center specializes in supporting students with high-intensity medical and physical needs, while Royal Palm specializes in intensive behavioral intervention.

Parents say they are not happy about the change. Katie Peterson, a parent liaison at Buckingham Exceptional Student Center, says Royal Palm is not built or adapted for students like her daughter Grace.

"Grace has medical needs. She's blind, and she has a medication that she takes she does not make cortisol," Peterson said.

Peterson visited the Royal Palm campus and says while the facilities are amazing for the population they serve, significant changes would be needed for her daughter.

"On Tuesday, we got to visit the Royal Palm campus, which they have amazing facilities for what they're the population they're serving there," Peterson said. "But to think about taking my daughter there and dropping her off, it would need an incredible amount of adaptations for her to even be able to comfortably be there."

Parents have been telling the school district "don't make a decision about us without us."

The school district says the relocation is expected to happen in August.