BALTIMORE, March 30, 2023—Kennedy Krieger Institute will expand its special education services across the state this year by opening a new school in St. Mary’s County that will serve up to 45 students with autism spectrum disorder, ages 5 to 21.
The school will open for the 2023 to 2024 school year.
Kennedy Krieger School, Southern Maryland Campus will educate students from St. Mary’s, Calvert, Charles, and surrounding counties who require a highly individualized educational program. It will be the fifth school in Maryland run by Kennedy Krieger; currently the Institute has three schools in Baltimore and one in Prince George’s County. Kennedy Krieger Schools are part of Maryland's nonpublic school community and serve publicly funded students referred from local school systems across the state.
The Southern Maryland Campus will be in California at the University System of Maryland at Southern Maryland (USMSM). In November 2022, the University of Maryland Board of Regents voted to approve a 15-year lease with Kennedy Krieger for an unused building at USMSM, which became available when the campus’s brand new academic and innovation center opened the year before.
“Our new school will make it possible for public school students and their families living in Southern Maryland to access our educational and related services close to home for the first time,” said Brad Schlaggar, PhD, president and CEO of Kennedy Krieger Institute. “This exciting news about a project that has been in the works for a while is also a testament to the collaboration of Maryland state Senator John D. Bailey, who serves Southern Maryland, as well as Congressman Steny Hoyer, the leadership of the University System of Maryland, and the community itself.”
Kennedy Krieger Schools provide an inter-disciplinary approach in a highly structured environment to meet the academic, communication, social, behavioral, and medical needs, or students with complex disabilities. The goal is to help students achieve their potential and to prepare them for success in life after completion of their education.
“We have been serving students from southern Maryland at our Baltimore and Prince George’s campuses (and prior Montgomery County campus) for many years, so we are thrilled to finally be able to bring our program and services to them,” said Linda Myers, EdD, vice president of school programs at Kennedy Krieger. “We also look forward to playing an active role in the community there.”
A student is referred to and placed in Kennedy Krieger school programs by their local school system IEP (Individualized Education Program) team, which includes the student’s parents or guardians, when it is determined that the local school system cannot meet the student’s needs.
Kennedy Krieger is currently hiring educators and clinicians who are interested in working at the Southern Maryland Campus. For more information, visit: KennedyKrieger.org/careers
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About Kennedy Krieger Institute:
Kennedy Krieger Institute, an internationally known nonprofit organization located in the greater Baltimore-Washington, D.C., region, transforms the lives of more than 27,000 individuals a year through inpatient and outpatient medical, behavioral health and wellness therapies; home and community services; school-based programs; training and education for professionals; and advocacy. Kennedy Krieger provides a wide range of services for children, adolescents and adults with diseases, disorders and injuries that impact the nervous system, ranging from mild to severe. The Institute is home to a team of investigators who contribute to the understanding of how disorders develop, while at the same time pioneering new interventions and methods of early diagnosis, prevention and treatment. Visit KennedyKrieger.org for more information about Kennedy Krieger.
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