The Charter School of Tampa Bay Academy The Charter School of Tampa Bay Academy is the only Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) accredited special needs charter school for Deaf children in Florida. The mission and philosophy of the Charter School of Tampa Bay Academy is to provide a year-round educational experience to Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. Our goals for these students are both academic and behavioral. We try to assess, remediate and provide compensatory education for academic and learning deficiencies, as well as provide an ongoing, structured academic environment. We recognize our students are not referred to our program primarily because of poor academic performance. Rather, it is their severe psychiatric, emotional and/or behavioral problems which have historically interfered with their ability to succeed within the classroom setting. The Charter School helps each student succeed both academically and socially by working within an intense behavioral framework. We believe this approach will assist our students to internalize change in their disruptive/inappropriate behaviors. Once this occurs, students are better able to transition to more traditional educational activities that in turn facilitate a return to a less restrictive educational setting within their home community. Some Deaf and Hard of Hearing students have severe emotional disabilities (SED) or an emotional handicap (EH) that may affect their ability to achieve academic milestones in either a mainstream or traditional residential school. Tampa Bay Academy's Deaf Education Program conducts classes using American Sign Language (ASL), the native language of Deaf. Classroom instruction adheres to the Bilingual-Bicultural philosophy of Deaf Education. The philosophy of Bilingual-Bicultural approach in the classroom is to promote cultural sensitivity. This instructional approach encourages the development of both ASL and English within the educational setting. Deaf students can use their primary language, ASL, as a strong foundation for developing competency in their second language, English. Using this culturally sensitive approach promotes self-esteem and a sense of pride for Deaf students. The culturally Deaf teachers are certified by the state of Florida and are fluent in both ASL and English. Tampa Bay Academy's curriculum includes, but is not limited to: Art, Media/Computer Lab, Math, English/Language Arts, Social Studies, Geography, Physical Education and Sex Education. Group Therapy, referred to as Positive Peer Culture (PPC), is also part of the educational curriculum.