Bright Futures Academy in Lamar CISD built just for students with autism spectrum disorder

BEASLEY, Texas – It’s a first of its kind for traditional public schools in Texas: a campus tailored to the needs of young children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

“Just because you have autism, doesn’t mean you can’t go out into the world and be a successful young person. It’s our job to help with that,” says Superintendent Dr. Roosevelt Nivens.

Lamar CISD will open Bright Futures Academy at Beasley Elementary this fall, serving children in Early Childhood through 2nd grade. The district aims to create a structured and supportive setting where young learners can thrive, with access to therapeutic integration, teachers and staff trained in ABA, sensory-friendly spaces and mandatory training for parents to help them learn strategies to support student growth. Several informational sessions have been held in recent weeks for parents seeking more information, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

“The reaction is better than I thought it would be,” said Dr. Nivens. “At first my concern was parents aren’t going to want their students in a specialized setting because they want them mainstream, but more and more parents are saying I want my child in a specialized setting because we want them to be successful once they graduate.”

Dr. Nivens’ goal is to expand this opportunity to more campuses in the years to come. They’ve partnered with the nonprofit, Lamar Legacy Partners, which will help run day-to-day operations at Bright Futures Academy and secure funding. This type of opportunity from a public school district is a huge financial relief to parents learning about it.

“One parent said that they sold their home and moved into an apartment because they were spending upwards of $40,000 a year to help their child.”

For Tiffany Mathis, Lamar CISD’s Executive Director of Special Education, she sees big things for the program and the families who will benefit.

“I’ve been in education 32 years, and this is the first time we’ve done something like this,” she says. “I’m just so proud to be a part of this.”

Parents interested in applying have until March 20^th to fill out the application. Families must live within Lamar CISD boundaries and students must be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder to qualify. You can find out more on Lamar CISD’s Bright Futures page here.