LI Parents Worried Over Possible Closure Of School For Special Needs Children

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Long Island parents are speaking out after a school for special needs children announced it may be shutting its doors later this year.

A staff member told WCBS 880's Sophia Hall that Mill Neck Manor Early Childhood Center officials announced at a meeting last week that they may be closing their doors in June.

However, President and CEO of Mill Neck Manor Michael Killian issued a statement Thursday, saying "no decision has been made to close the program."

"For the past 25 years, the staff at the ECC has done an exceptional job. However, the cost of the program has resulted in a multi-million dollar loss," the statement read in part. "We hope that the teachers' union will promptly join us in addressing the cost of the Early Childhood Center (ECC) staff compensation, which is substantially above that of comparable schools and the significant primary reason for the program's ongoing financial problems."

As CBS2's Jennifer McLogan reported, the statement seemed to make parents more confused.

"The school has not been on the up and up. They are blaming union negotiations, and if they are using my three-year-old special needs son as a ploy and a pawn in their game, is just ridiculous and mind boggling," Ryan Bathie said.

April Knox is a smart, smiling 4-year-old girl who is diagnosed with autism. Her parents, Ashley and Jonathan, said the center has changed her life.

"She's now able to articulate 'Daddy, I want more juice,'" Jonathan Knox said. "Before that, it was 'Juice' and a temper tantrum."

Parents are not charged for enrolling their children at the center, but Ashley Knox said they are willing to pay tuition to keep their daughter in the program.

"Whatever the situation may be, that's what we're going to do for our kid," she said.

About 80 children ages three to five are in programs at the school.

Killian said the financial problems will not impact the School for the Deaf program.