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Parent warns moving Emotional Growth Center at Salem Heights would harm students on autism spectrum
Summary
A parent told the Salem-Keizer board that a planned move of the Emotional Growth Center (EGC) from Salem Heights Elementary would disrupt students who rely on school-based supports and consistent campus routines.
At the May 13 Salem-Keizer SD 24J board meeting, parent and community member Christopher Best urged the board not to close or relocate the Emotional Growth Center (EGC) currently at Salem Heights Elementary, saying the program’s effectiveness depends on the campus community, coordinated staff and on-site supports.
Best told the board he had been informed that the EGC might be moved to another school on the opposite side of the district. He said an EGC is more than its staff and argued that school administration, special and general education teachers, and campus relationships all combine to form the program’s effectiveness. "If the program is so successful ... how can it make sense to close it down?" he asked.
He also emphasized equity and stability concerns: many EGC pupils are diagnosed on the autism spectrum, populations particularly sensitive to transitions. Best said moving the program would force families to choose between disrupting routines, placing children in unfamiliar settings, or losing trusted non-family adults who currently provide support.
Best asked the board to consider that the EGC’s community relationships and campus-based supports cannot be replicated simply by reallocating staff. He called for solutions that expand services rather than relocating them away from the students and neighborhoods they currently serve.
Meeting context
Best spoke during the public comment period. His remarks were framed as an appeal to the board to preserve local services and to prioritize the needs of students with significant social-emotional and behavioral needs. The transcript did not record a formal district decision about the EGC at this meeting; Best described a phone call he had received about relocation but did not identify district staff who conveyed the plan.
