Parents Petition to Save C.D.C.H.

Just days after the Child Development Center of the Hamptons announced it would close at the end of the school year, an online petition surfaced seeking support to keep the school open.

Emily Eggers, a C.D.C.H. parent, launched the petition on Change.org on May 11 following a school spokesman’s confirmation of the closure two days earlier.

The school, which is the South Fork’s only charter school, released an official statement on May 11 saying financial difficulties and declining enrollment were to blame. A potential takeover by the Gersh Academy, which runs several private schools for autistic children, failed to materialize after several months of discussions.

In the petition, Ms. Eggers asked the Gersh Academy “to uphold the promises made to the students, families, and staff . . . and honor their commitment to partner with C.D.C.H.” As of yesterday morning, the petition had 228 signatures and dozens of comments.

The school “has played a vital role in the lives of many students and their families, past and present, and we know that with the partnership of the Gersh Academy, C.D.C.H. can continue to do so,” Ms. Eggers wrote. “We ask that the Gersh Academy does not turn its back on our school and our children.”

In response to the petition, Gersh Management Services, which runs the Gersh Academy, said in a statement that while it appreciates “the community’s passion and concern,” the parents need to directly address their issues to the current administration and management of C.D.C.H.

“Good faith efforts were made during the evaluation process,” the statement said. “However, information which was received during this effort required all parties to agree to end the process.”

The nature of that information is unclear. A spokesperson for Gersh Management Services could not be reached for comment, nor could anyone at the school.

The fate of the school facility is also unclear. The property and the building are owned by East Hampton Town, which leases them to the school.

C.D.C.H. began as a toddler program in a parent’s house in the mid-1990s and officially opened as a charter school in 2001. A public charter school for both general education and special needs students in kindergarten through fifth grade, it draws students from local school districts, whose home districts pay tuition. It also operates a private, tuition-based prekindergarten program.

The State University of New York Charter School Institute, which approves and accredits such schools in New York State, found C.D.C.H. to be in good academic standing during the 2014-15 school year and in several prior years, and in February of 2015 it renewed the school’s charter for another five years.