SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — New additions are coming to one local school district in the form of more autism-support classrooms. It’s all in an effort to meet students where their needs are. 28/22 News Reporter Colby Hughes was able to see the progress and explained what this could add to the community.

What is an active construction zone this summer will soon be transformed into a new addition for the Scranton School District. This new autism support center called, Monticello East, will be dedicated to kids from kindergarten to second grade.

Scranton School District Superintendent, Dr. Erin Keating, said, “It’s a resource need. Our job is to make sure we give kids the education they deserve, and our students who are autistic need a little bit more.”

Dr. Keating said the center is being added to keep up with rising autism rates in the district. Parents say they have noticed a difference in their children who are in classes tailored to them.

Scranton resident, Angela Anthony, said “She has grown so much being in those classes. You can tell by her smile when she gets up in the morning because she’s so excited to go, and even when she comes home from school, she’s really, really happy.”

Anthony’s daughter has been in the support classes since kindergarten.

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She continued, “The autistic support classes really specialize in making sure that she has the individualized supports that she needs. For example, she gets speech, she gets OT (occupational therapy), and she has paraprofessionals that work really closely with her.”

She also credited that her daughter is able to be in classes with students who are not autistic as part of her improvement, which is something the district prides itself on and plans to continue doing.

“That is our goal: by these intense interventions at early levels, we will teach them, and hopefully by the time they’re in third, fourth, fifth, or sixth grade, they’re in regular education classrooms,” Scranton School District Assistant Superintendent, Albert O’Donnell, said.

District officials said it’s exciting to be able to expand this program.

Dr. Keating added, “It’s why we’re here. We’re here to educate the students of the city of Scranton, and that means that we need to give students what they need. The expansion of our center-based programming is giving this group of students what they need.”

Monticello East will open its first eight classrooms in the 2026-2027 school year, and 10 more will follow once the building is complete. All with the help of state senators and representatives to help fund this project.

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