Local private special needs school SOAR Academy may be coming to south Augusta after a favorable decision by the Augusta Planning Commission during its meeting on Monday afternoon.
The school, devoted to educating neurodivergent students, such as those with ADHD or are on the autism spectrum, has been operating from Columbia County since its inception over 12 years ago. The K-12 facility was run from the campus of In Focus Church in Evans when it was awarded a half-million-dollar grant by a nonprofit in 2023. In August of that year, it moved to a space in an office building along Washington Road in Martinez.
However, as founder and director Keneisha Skaggs explained to the planning commission, damage to that building during Hurricane Helene forced the school to relocate to Pine View Baptist Church on Pleasant Home Road, where it has operated since.
The school is seeking a special exception to allow its relocation to 3042 Eagle Drive, a 20-acre-property with several buildings, currently zoned One-family residential (R-1A), which in 2017 was granted a special exception to establish a monastery.
Skaggs highlighted the school’s location as an advantage for the school’s aims, particularly its proximity to Augusta Technical College, which, she noted, would relieve transportation barriers for students undergoing its dual enrollment program.
“We’re a nature school, so we believe in students being outdoors learning and not on the devices as much,” said Skaggs. “We service a huge population of students with autism, ADHD and dyslexia, all high functioning, but just with the opportunity to be outdoors and thrive academically.”
Answering a question from Planning Commissioner Donnie Smith, Skaggs noted that the school has never had any behavioral or truancy issues, which Smith himself noted that Pine View corroborated.
No one in attendance opposed the request. One Eagle Drive resident, Clarence Kendrick, spoke before the planning commission in support of the school, lauding District 5 Augusta Commissioner Don Clark — who was present at Monday’s Planning Commission meeting — for facilitating a meeting between SOAR Academy staff and neighboring residents and homeowners so that the latter could be informed on the school’s plans for the site.
The commissioners ultimately voted unanimously in favor of the exception.
Skyler Andrews is a reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
