Freedom Acres School is a center-based facility built in 1979 and operated by the Ionia County Intermediate School District. It provides educational services to students from the county’s six local districts including Ionia, Belding, Lakewood, Palo, Portland, and Saranac. Freedom Acres offers programs for students with severe cognitive impairments, moderate cognitive impairments, severe emotional impairments, an infant-toddler program for ages birth to three years – Early Intervention Programs, and a secondary alternative general education program.
Students with moderate cognitive impairments attend programs housed in Ionia Public School buildings. Adult students with moderate cognitive impairments attend a program in a home setting at the Independent Living Center (ILC) located in Ionia.
Freedom Acres students are bussed in daily to classrooms where they may interact with a variety of staff including teachers, paraeducators, speech therapists, occupational therapists and physical therapists. Special education programs are operated in accordance with Michigan’s Revised Administrative Rules for Special Education. Freedom Acres School operates in accordance with the Ionia County Intermediate School District’s plan for the delivery of special education services. This plan is reviewed annually by the district’s Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) and is approved by the State of Michigan.
As we continue to grow and expand our programs to service Ionia County’s students with special needs, a visitor can expect to find a school that is bustling with activity. Freedom Acres received a new addition in 1999 which houses classrooms for students with severe cognitive impairments and our infant-toddler program. A lower level in the expansion wing provides staff offices and conference areas. Classrooms in the original wing serve students with emotional impairments and alternative education needs. On the grounds, a nature trail has been added and a sensory playground is nearing completion. Future projects are being developed which will provide greater recreational as well as instructional opportunities for our diverse population.
