Enrollment for Lowcountry school halted after receiving letter of noncompliance

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The Gates School is a new public charter school for students with dyslexia located in North Charleston. The school opened their doors to students for the first time in 2021 when it became the only public charter school in the Lowcountry.

According to Founding Board Chair Stephanie Sams, teachers at the Gates School are trained specifically in the Orton-Gillinghan Approach.

Eight weeks after opening, the school received a letter of noncompliance from their authorizer, Erskine Charters.

The letter states that Gates School has deficiencies in staffing, specifically staffing a Special Education Teacher, among other things. Therefore, Erskine Charters put a hold on student enrollment until they deem the school is in compliance with their requirements.

A copy of the letter of noncompliance can be found here.

“Any concerns that have been brought to our attention, we are certainly looking into, because we want Gates School to be the best school that it can be for our kids,” Sams said.

Sams says they are working to address the areas of concerns and are currently looking to hire a fulltime special education teacher.

“We are 8 weeks into this, so there are definitely going to be bumps in the road. We anticipate that. And it takes a village.”

The Gates School Board is set to hold a meeting on Saturday, October 23 at 9:30 a.m. at 5010 Wetland Crossing Rd. North Charleston.

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