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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

What Ways Can I Contact Keystone Freedom Academy?

At Keystone Freedom Academy, we go above and beyond to make sure we are accessible to our students, our parents, and any incoming students looking to join the Keystone Freedom Academy community.

You can reach out to us by dialing 844-539-3336 and ask for our admissions specialist. You may also fill out the form at the top of the contact page, and a member of our exceptional staff will reach out to you shortly. We also have other ways of communicating with great families like you! Simply visit our Facebook, Instagram, or Youtube page to keep up with the latest or reach out to someone at Keystone!

Our CEO and founder is also always available to answer any questions you may have. She can be reached by email at dr.j@keystonefreedomacademy.org or by cell (610) 730-2655.

What Should I Expect as a Student Enrolling in Keystone Freedom Academy?

When enrolling a student here at Keystone Freedom Academy you can expect transparency and timeliness. Our admissions process consists of a thorough review of records from our full admin team, a first-round admissions interview where the student and family have the opportunity to meet our staff and learn about our organization, and lastly, a tour of our campus. From the time we receive your child’s paperwork, our turnaround time is between 24 and 48 hours to when you will be contacted, complete an admissions interview, and have the results of the admissions decision.

From the student standpoint, you can expect to gain a strong understanding of the operations of our organization as well as the different programs and incentives we have prior to starting. We conduct shadow days prior to acceptance where the student has the opportunity to participate on-site in addition to meeting some of his or her peers.

Once enrolled you can expect to have a voice, choices, and a safe environment free from restraints. At Keystone Freedom Academy we listen to what our students need. If you are unable to communicate your needs, staff teach you strategies on how to self advocate. Our organization is based on three pillars: Safety, Freedom, and Humanity. First and foremost, we provide students with a safe environment. Safe from physical harm; no one will touch you to move you or retrain you unless you are in danger of getting hurt. Safe from emotional harm; Students are rewarded for appropriate behaviors, which promotes a safe environment where students hold each other accountable to be kind and forgiving. We provide students the freedom to make mistakes without the worry of being expelled. Students earn points every 15 minutes. This means students have a fresh start to follow expectations every 15 minutes. If expectations are not followed, the student does not earn points for that period of time. Our classrooms are free from the everyday power struggles students have had to endure in larger school settings. Our educators do not engage in power struggles as students have the choice to earn points by following through with expectations or don’t earn points. It’s really that simple. Educators provide students with options to choose from to follow through with expectations. Students also have numerous opportunities to take breaks, go for walks, speak with a preferred staff or participate in a physical activity like basketball or boxing.

Finally, we focus on preserving the humanity of all our students. If students have learning disabilities or other challenges, they are provided the support needed to learn how to be successful in society using various strategies. Students learn at their own individual speed and style. We offer classrooms with 8 or less students and we have dedicated staff who are highly trained to help students learn strategies to retain and advance in their academics. Our educators all have Master Degrees in special education and our instructional assistants have Bachelor Degrees in psychology or education or both.

What should parents know about an out-of-district school placement?

As a parent looking for an out of district placement for your child can be a very stressful process. Most parents have never gone through this process and do not know where to start or what questions to ask. At Keystone Freedom Academy we are here to support your child and the entire family. That includes supporting you the parents or guardians in understanding the process of finding an out of district placement, whether you choose our academy or another school.

The first step in the process is to determine what you and your child want to get out of the attending school. It is extremely important to determine if you want a school that has rigorous academics, one that provides in school therapy, a school that only focuses on behaviors, one that includes parents in the process, a school that uses restraints or one that employs hands-off behavior strategies, level of transparency, small class size, and partnership with the sending school district are some topics you might consider.

Once you have narrowed down your top goals for your child’s placement, the next step is to find placements that meet the criteria you have selected. You can ask the special education department at your home district for recommendation or do a search online for schools or academies that focus on the criteria you have determined to be the main focus for the school you would like your child to attend.

The next step is to visit the school(s) or set up a video conference to learn more about the school(s) you have selected. If school personnel do not return your calls within 48 hours you may want to remove them from your list as this could be an indication that they are too busy to address your child’s needs. It is important to make sure the school you finally select is suited to support your individual child’s needs. Most private schools focus on specific student needs and do not cater to all student diagnosis. For example, a school that focuses on Emotional Support would not be a good placement for an autistic child as the strategies required to support each unique disability are completely different and do not align. Therefore, it would not be a good fit for an autistic child to attend a school that uses interventions for emotional support students as these strategies will not meet the needs of an autistic child.

Many school districts also require parents to visit at least three different placements before selecting the school they believe will best meet their child’s needs. Again, each school has it’s pros and cons. Therefore, it is important that parents visit multiple placements to see and hear about each school’s differences in order to select a school that will be best for their child.

Be open and transparent with your child’s education team and tell them what school you believe would be best for them to attend. If the district does not approve attendance at the placement of your choice then see the answer to the next question.

When looking to apply at our school, you are probably wondering about the tuition. At Keystone Freedom Academy, part of being accessible to everyone, also means financial accessibility. We make sure to work with all families of any and all budgets. We have partnerships with school districts across several counties and work closely with attorneys and educational advocates to best support the needs of our students.
Currently, our tuition is $235/day. We do not hold our parents or schools responsible for paying a yearly tuition if students are not enrolled in our program. In addition, we are flexible with enrollment and provide options that best meet student needs. For example, some students only attend KFA during our summer Extended School Year program, or a student may only need support with social/ emotional learning and attend one or two classes each day. Students can also attend KFA half a day and their local Vocational school the rest of the day. At KFA we do not prescribe to a one size fits all mindset, we are flexible in providing programming for the individual student and flexible in tuition payment options.

What if my school district will not approve an out of district placement for my child?

You as a parent know your child better than anyone else and you have decided that the current school is not providing enough services to your child, or the services being provided are not helping your child to be successful, or your child is not able to grow academically or emotionally in the current school setting. You have discussed this with your child’s team of educators and specialists, but they insist that they can make a difference and do not approve of your child attending an out-of-district placement. It is always best to work with your child’s special education team; however, should you and the team not be able to agree, you can seek out legal counsel.

Of course when anyone has to go this route it is again very frustrating and may cause tremendous anxiety for the parents. However, there are many special education law firms that support families seeking out-of-district placement for their child with little to no expense to the family. Most often the attorney fees are paid by the sending school district and that expense is worked out between your attorney and the school district.

If you find yourself in this situation do not hesitate to contact us and we can provide you with a list of local firms that practice special education law.

How do we contact Keystone Freedom Academy to enroll our child?

In order to start the enrollment process at Keystone Freedom Academy, you first contact our admissions specialist at contact@keystonefreedomacademy.org or our Director of Education/Principal, Dr. Elizabeth Criscuolo at ecriscuolo@keystonefreedomacademy.org. When contacting, you would provide your child’s most recent special education documentation including their Individualized Education Plan and Reevaluation along with any school related documentation including but not limited to attendance records, report cards, transcripts, and incident report data. Once our team has been provided with the information, you will be contacted within 24 hours with next steps. From the time we receive your child’s paperwork, our turnaround time is between 24 and 48 hours to when you will be contacted, complete an admissions interview, and have the results of the admissions decision.

Step 1: Contact our admissions advisor at contact@keystonefreedomacademy.org or our Director of Education/Principal, Dr. Elizabeth Criscuolo at ecriscuolo@keystonefreedomacademy.org to initiate the process.

Step 2: Provide your child’s special education documentation including the most recent IEP and Reevaluation Report.

Step 3: Wait to be contacted for an admissions interview within the first 24-48 hours.