For Immediate Release | Friday, June 28, 2019
CONTACT | Maggie Meyers, maggie@wacharters.wpenginepowered.com or 724.263.9826
Spokane, WA—On June 26th, Spokane Public Schools approved Lumen High School to open a charter public school that seeks to serve teen parents and their young children in Spokane.
Lumen is the third charter public school to be authorized by Spokane Public Schools; PRIDE Prep and Spokane International Academy, Spokane’s first charters, launched in 2015. Lumen will spend the next year building out its model, finalizing a facility, and enrolling students to begin when the school opens doors in Fall 2020.
“In recent years, education for many teen parents has been a ‘packet of paper’ school – and they need and deserve better options,” said Lumen Founder and Executive Director Shauna Edwards. “Public education should be robust – and not just for some students. A meaningful, impactful education should not depend on your background or the choices that you’ve made.”
On today’s approval, Edwards remarked, “We are honored to offer an additional, valuable, free, public school option for some of our most deserving students, starting in 2020.”
“We laud Spokane Public Schools for approving Lumen High School, and we are excited to continue partnering with Lumen as it launches a high-quality, responsive model,” said WA Charters CEO Patrick D’Amelio. “We believe that Lumen will be a torch light for high school students – and their children – by helping them find pathways to success in education and life.” Lumen will continue to receive support from WA Charters as the recipient of a Planning Year Grant.
Lumen is centered on values of belonging, flexibility, understanding, tenacity, and discovery. The school plans to partner with Parkview Early Learning, which currently runs a single-site zero-to-five program, to create a second site on Lumen’s campus. As part of Lumen’s curriculum, teen parents and their children will engage with the early learning center and attend classes focused on attachment-based relationship development.
“For teen parents at Lumen, it won’t just about surviving, but about thriving. By learning what will help them thrive in their life currently and in their future, students will find meaning in their education –and get out of oppressive systems that hold them captive,” said Edwards.
Lumen is the fifth charter public school to be authorized this Spring. The four others approved in May by the Washington State Charter School Commission, will also open doors to students in Fall 2020.
About Lumen High School
Lumen High School will open in 2020, and will offer educational pathways for teen parents leading to high school graduation, positive parenting, and future life success. To learn more, visit: https://www.lumenhighschool.org/
About WA Charters
The Washington State Charter Schools Association (WA Charters) is a statewide nonprofit organization that advocates for and supports high-quality charter public schools that meet the needs of systemically underserved students. To learn more, visit www.wacharters.org.
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