Making a difference to families across Ohio
Some travel hours for specialty schools in area
Savannah Keplar rides in her grandmother’s car for more than two hours — from Richland County to Columbus — every week day to attend Bridgeway Academy.
The 17-year-old junior leaves Mansfield by 7 a.m. and returns home by 4:30 p.m. Her grandmother, Cindy Cowles, drives a total of about 270 miles a day so Savannah can attend the nonprofit school on Columbus’ East Side that serves students with autism and other developmental disabilities.
“When you consider driving an hour to Columbus to get her to a school that meets her needs, you are going to do it,” said Savannah’s mother, Jessica Butler.
“Specialty schools” in Greater Columbus, such as Bridgeway and Marburn Academy in New Albany, which meet the special needs of students, often lure students from outside Franklin County — sometimes from hundreds of miles away.
“Finally we said if there was a Marburn (Academy) here in Cincinnati, that would really work for us and the more we thought about it and prayed over it, we decided we needed to give it a try because it’s the right thing to do to see if that would work for her.”
Molly Tyger Ingrid Tyger’s mother
Bridgeway has enrolls students from 10 counties and 30 school districts, Janelle Maur, a spokeswoman for Bridgeway Academy, said in an email.
Savannah has Phelan-mcdermid Syndrome, a rare genetic condition that causes developmental and speech delays, behavioral problems and an inability or weakened ability to feel pain or sweat.
She also has Lennox-gastaut syndrome, a severe form of childhood epilepsy, and childhood disintegrative disorder, a rare and severe condition in which a child’s abilities such as language, social function and motor skills seem to melt away.
She started having severe behavior changes and then seizures at age five. She couldn’t sleep and wouldn’t let anyone touch her. She’d also scream for hours and try to eat everything in sight, her mother said.
Savannah initially attended the special education program at Highland Local Schools in Morrow County, but after a year and a halfit became clear she needed intensive one-on-one support to address her educational and medical needs
“It was a struggle,” said Butler, 38.
The family toured Bridgeway Academy, which also offers life-skills training and physical, occupational and speech therapy in addition to the educational subjects taught in schools.
“I walked through the door and we were blown away,” Butler said.
Savannah was initially placed at Bridgeway by Highland Local Schools in 2012 at the age of eight. In 2015, the family moved to the Lexington School District in Richland County.
Because of Savannah’s epilepsy, a nurse would have to ride with her on school transportation to administer emergency medication, if needed. The alternative was if a family member could drive her, Butler said.
Today, Savannah, 17, is able to use her communication device and even request specific songs during her speech therapy, things that wouldn’t be possible if if weren’t for Bridgeway, Butler said.
Attending the school costs more than $60,000 a year but the family says they can’t put a price on seeing her grow.
“It’s worth every penny and it shows with her,” Butler said.
Ingrid Tyger’s family is from the Cincinnati area, but they bought a second home in New Albany in the summer of 2020 to help their teen daughter attend Marburn Academy.
The New Albany private school serves students who learn differently due to dyslexia, executive function difficulties and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Nearly 25% of its students (63 out of 264) live outside of Franklin County.
Ingrid, who was born in Guatemala, was adopted by the Tygers just before her third birthday. The Tygers struggled with finding the right school for Ingrid in Cincinnati, but the couple was already familiar with Marburn because Ingrid’s grandparents served on the school’s board before she was born.
Ingrid struggled with distractions in traditional classrooms and organizational issues due to executive dysfunction. She also needed accommodations, such as extra time on tests and listening to audiobooks
while reading.
“Finally we said if there was a Marburn here in Cincinnati, that would really work for us and the more we thought about it and prayed over it, we decided we needed to give it a try because it’s the right thing to do to see if that would work for her,” said Ingrid’s mother, Molly.
Molly and Ingrid got an apartment in Upper Arlington — about 100 miles or an hour and 40 minute car ride from their home in Mason — in 2019. It was Ingrid’s
sophomore year but the in-person school year was cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The family then decided it would make more financial sense to buy a second home in Columbus so Ingrid could attend Marburn.
“We did the math and figured out it would be about the same cost to buy a house and sell it even with the modest appreciation,” said Molly, 55.
The family bought a home down the street from Marburn, where tuition is $30,425 for grades 9-12. Ingrid’s father, Doug, continues to live in their house in Mason, a suburb north of Cincinnati. On the weekends, Molly and Ingrid either go down to Mason or bring their dad up to New Albany since he doesn’t drive.
“It feels like the right decision and it’s been a great choice for us,” Molly said.
A senior now, Ingrid’s confidence has blossomed at Marburn, Molly said. The school has helped helped Ingrid understand incorporating the accommodations she needs in the classroom has made her a stronger student.
“It’s helped me definitely advocate for myself and take ownership for my assignments,” said Ingrid, who is now 18.
She hopes to attend either Columbus State Community College or Cincinnati State Technical and Community College for nursing.
“It’s great to see my smiling, happy kid back again,” Molly said. mhenry@dispatch.com @megankhenry