Parents of 1st through 8th graders with learning disabilities now have another option in deciding where their child can receive an education. The Maxine Giardina Charter School, for students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities, opened its doors Aug. 15 to 120 students with dyslexia or other learning disabilities.

“A lot of times kids with dyslexia and related disabilities tend to get lost in regular schools in classes with a lot more students,” Karen Chauvin, director of Louisiana Center for Dyslexia and Related Learning, said. “We are committed to smaller class sizes.”

According to Dr. Deborah Bordelon, dean of the College of Education and member of the Board of Directors for the charter school, said the school being on campus is a “win-win situation.”

Bordelon said the charter school provides a place for the undergraduates and graduates of the college of education to do their field experience, such as assist teachers and tutor children one-on-one.

She said the opportunity to work with students with language disabilities will benefit their learning experience, while the school’s students can broaden their horizons on campus.

“Kids at the school will have access to what Nicholls has to offer, such as our library,” she said. “They can take field trips to the art department and see behind the scenes work. They can go to the biology department and see a lab in action.”

Maxine Giardina Charter School, a non-profit organization, will manage the school. The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approved the school’s open and will review it at the year’s end. Although the dyslexia center and the charter school are two separate entities, Chauvin said the center will help train the teachers if needed.

According to Bordelon, the charter school is a regular public school that has to meet the curriculum requirements of the state.