An Orlando school for children with autism — which abruptly shut down when the owner and office manager were charged with Medicaid fraud — may soon reopen.

Lodestone Academy is taking over the lease on the Colonial Drive property that housed the Angels Center for Autism.

Angels closed earlier this month after investigators accused owner Maria Navarro and an employee of pocketing $4.5 million from Medicaid. The move to shutter the school displaced dozens of students.

"A lot of the students have nowhere right now," said Josh Pritchard, a professor of behavioral analysis and president of Lodestone. "They've reached out and we have applications. If the allegations are true and that's the case, it's pretty infuriating."

Pritchard said Lodestone has had a year-long waiting list for the nearby Irma Avenue location. Now, they are currently hiring staff, enrolling children and preparing classrooms for the Baldwin branch, welcoming any students who went to the Angels school, as well as others. 

"I know this place has a lot of bad history right now. We're happy to say, 'Let us demonstrate what we can do, and if you don't like it, you're not stuck,'" Pritchard said. "Our profession also got a bit of a black eye from this situation. Parents now wonder, 'Can I trust a behavior analyst?' That's part of our goal to earn that back."

Yasmin Antunez, a parent of three autistic children who went to the Angels school, was shocked by the allegations.

"I was hoping it was a mistake, an accident," she said. "Like the money was probably going to the school. My son, since (the school) has closed, has been really upset."

Antunez said that while she understands why other parents are nervous to send their children back, she has full confidence they will be safe.

"I feel like I can trust them," she said. "I'm more concerned about how my kids will react to new people since it's a big change. When I came to the open house, my daughter was back at home."

Pritchard said Lodestone purchased everything — from classroom furniture to playroom equipment — in order to ease the transition for routine-oriented autistic students. It was also a way to get a hold of the lease amicably. 

"The only thing they took were the educational and clinical records because, legally, we can't have that," he said, adding that the school would be able to easily enroll new students through assessments. "It's hard to hear that parents can't trust us, not because of something we did. Our education and our oversight is going to be significantly different. One of our commitments is full transparency with parents." 

In addition, Pritchard said parents worry about scholarships being depleted. Lodestone is starting a GoFundMe, matching dollar for dollar, to ensure "funding is not a barrier for coming into the school."

The owner and office manager of Angels are both accused of bilking Medicaid out of $4 million, treating themselves to cars and homes, instead of providing treatment for children.

For more information, email info@lodestoneacademy.org or call 407-796-2908.