The Jericho School for Children with Autism will close because of the government shutdown and delays in insurance payments. | Ben Schubert, News4Jax
Published on October 27, 2025 at 1:56 pm
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Officials at the Jericho School for Children with Autism have informed families that the school will not reopen, turning what the board of directors had hoped would be a temporary closure into a permanent one.
Funding delays because of the government shutdown “have created an operating deficit that the school cannot overcome,” Angelo Martinez, the school’s executive director, wrote in a message to families.
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The school is a nonprofit that has helped children with autism for more than 30 years. It initially closed Oct. 19.
At the time, Martinez said the decision was temporary as officials determined the best path forward.
But the message sent to families Sunday said the board of directors had since “made the heartbreaking decision to permanently close The Jericho School.”
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Martinez wrote that “despite our best efforts to sustain operations,” the school was severely impacted by the recent federal government shutdown and delays in insurance payments, which are vital to the school’s ability to serve students of military families.
“Our priority now is to support our students and families through this transition,” Martinez wrote.
Helping the school’s families
Families who need student records, therapy documentation or assistance identifying alternative educational or therapy options should contact Martinez via email at info@thejerichoschool.org.
The mother of Jericho student Declan Foose told News4Jax her son was struggling to understand what was going on when the school first closed.
“He went from wondering what he did wrong to wondering what happened above him…he’s going through the motions of grief where it’s like denial and acceptance and sadness and then anger and round and round and round,” Sabrena said.
She and other parents had been trying to homeschool their children during the uncertainty, but now permanent changes must be made.
This story was produced by News4Jax, a Jacksonville Today news partner.
