Gift of gratitude
Stephen Dey presents a check to Our Lady of the Assumption School leaders and students. The donation will go toward expanding the school’s PACE program, which provides hands-on special instruction to students with learning disabilities. (Troy Hull | Catholic News Herald)CHARLOTTE — Stephen and Jessica Dey are giving back to Catholic Schools in gratitude for the extraordinary support they say the Diocese of Charlotte’s schools have provided their daughter Avery – who was born with Down Syndrome and now is a junior at Charlotte Catholic High School.
Parishioners at St. Matthew, the couple recently donated $1,000 through their Inclusion Rocks Foundation to Our Lady of the Assumption’s PACE program, just one of many inclusion programs the diocese’s Catholic Schools offer special needs students from early childhood through high school.
PACE stands for “Providing Academically Appropriate Catholic Education,” a name that reflects the mission of all of the diocese’s special needs programs. Dey said it is “impossible to describe” all the ways these programs have benefited his daughter.
“The inclusion program has helped her develop social and people skills which will be critically important as she moves into a job-life after school,” he said. “She also just loves school, and life at school has helped her develop life skills like navigating directions and time management, and at the math level she is learning important things like how to deal with finances.”
The Deys established Inclusion Rocks to help schools implement inclusion programs, initially as a private foundation then last year obtaining tax-exempt status. The Charlotte-based foundation provides resources for special needs students in Catholic and non-Catholic schools, and to support educators and administrators who work with these students.
The foundation’s work includes securing grants from other organizations to support special needs education.
“Gestures like the gift from Inclusion Rocks support our core belief that every child, as a unique creation of God, deserves our best effort to help them achieve successful and joyful lives,” said Catholic Schools Superintendent Greg Monroe. “We can only do this in partnership with parents, parishioners and the community.”
Having come through inclusion programs at St. Patrick School and Holy Trinity Middle School, Avery now participates in the Options program at Charlotte Catholic, which provides a pathway for special learners from elementary through high school and into college.
The Deys initially sought out Catholic schools because they said public schools didn’t have programs that met Avery’s specific needs.
Our Lady of the Assumption School’s PACE program is designed for elementary and middle school students. From grades 2-5, students spend time in self-contained settings with daily opportunities to attend classes alongside general education students.
The school also offers the Modified Academic Program (MAP), designed for students who require a modified academic curriculum. Like PACE, this hybrid program offers instruction in both self-contained classrooms and with general education students. Instruction in core subjects is adapted to each student’s ability level.
Occupational and speech language therapy are also offered on a weekly basis for younger students at Our Lady of the Assumption. Students in these programs can continue education via the Options path at Holy Trinity and Charlotte Catholic.
Dey said the diocese’s inclusion programs are a blessing not only because they benefit special needs students, but also because of the understanding and social lessons they offer other students as well.
“That’s a facet that is wildly overlooked…,” he said. “Students who interact with their special-needs peers are starting to develop empathy, compassion and other important social skills. It’s a win-win for everybody involved.
“When you see the kids interact with each other through programs like Best Buddies at Charlotte Catholic, or at dances and football games,” he said, “it’s amazing to see what is happening.”
— Christina Lee Knauss
Learn more
At www.charlottediocese.org/schools: Find schools and learn more about the special learning programs in the Diocese of Charlotte.
HUNTERSVILLE — School officials alerted parents and students Tuesday after learning that a man who coached girls basketball last season at Christ the King High School had been arrested following child sexual abuse allegations in Ohio.
Jason Paul Dawson, 35, was arrested March 25 and charged with two felony counts of sexual battery involving a minor and one felony count of pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor, according to Franklin County, Ohio, Municipal Court records.
The allegations stem from his time working as a teacher and coach of the girls basketball team at Worthington Christian School in Columbus, Ohio. According to Ohio police and municipal court records, two female student-athletes allege that Dawson engaged in sexual activity with one of them from 2019 to 2023, and the other from 2020 to 2023. The records say police confiscated cell phone videos and text messages from both victims.
As of March 27, Dawson was being held at the Mecklenburg County Jail, awaiting extradition to Ohio.
After several successful seasons, Dawson left as coach at Worthington Christian School in April 2022 and moved to North Carolina. In a statement, Worthington Christian School said he resigned following “two incidents of employment discipline on matters not related to allegations of criminal activity but clear violations of our policies.”
Dawson worked as a temporary contract coach for the girls basketball team at Christ the King High School for the 2023-24 season. He passed a background check in June 2023 and worked as a coach until March 1, 2024.
Dawson also conducted basketball clinics at St. Mark School in Huntersville for two weeks in late July and early August 2023, school leaders said. St. Mark School alerted parents whose children attended and noted that other adults were present for the two-hour clinics, including personnel from The Carolina Factory (an athlete training facility), varsity athletes from Christ the King, as well as St. Mark parents and volunteers. Dawson worked at The Carolina Factory, which terminated him on Wednesday.
Leaders from both Christ the King and St. Mark schools said they are investigating but are unaware of any issues that occurred during Dawson’s time coaching there.
Christ the King and St. Mark school leaders learned of the arrest on March 26 and notified students and parents that day, as well as met with Christ the King basketball team members to answer questions and offer support.
“Of course we are dismayed to hear this news, but we are committed to supporting our players and keeping the Christ the King community informed,” School President Carl Semmler said Wednesday. “Nothing is more important to us than the safety and well-being of our students, and we will assist in this matter in any way we can.”
— Catholic News Herald