A Pasco County charter school for autistic children is set to close.

The Pasco Campus of the Florida Autism Center of Excellence, or FACE, just opened in Zephyhills this past August but already, parents are learning it will shut down at the end of this school year.

It's bad news for 11-year-old Nicholas Dester and his parents, who moved to the area from Hernando County. 

Nicholas has Asperger's, an autism spectrum disorder, and his parents said he didn't start speaking until he was five years old.  FACE is the fourth school he's attended and now he is thriving, his parents say.

"These are the straight As I got," Nicholas said. "This is proof that this is the best school."

"When we found this school, we thought that was the answer to all of our prayers," said mother Tammy Dester.

"As far as the progress that Nicholas made and the staff, it was the perfect fit," said father Chris Dester.

The family said they are nothing short of devastated, now that they know the school that has done so much for their son is closing.

The school's director, Carrie Walker, recently announced she was resigning at the end of the year.

In a letter to the charter school's board of directors, management company Quest Inc. cited Walker's planned departure, as well as low enrollment, among its reasons for ending its agreement to manage the school after the end of this school year.

Finally, on Thursday, the board voted to close the school down at the end of this school year.  In a news release dated April 17th, FACE Board Chairwoman Brenda Connolly stated it was a difficult decision to make but she said "this gives families ample time to make alternate plans for next year."

Not so fast, said parents. They said that the school has yet to make a formal announcement and they only know because the media clued them in.

"It feels like a betrayal," said mother Rachel Lare.  "It's shameful.  It really is."  

"I wish they would've given us a chance.  A fighting chance," said Tammy Dester.  "They didn't give us any fighting chance at all."

The board said all students are welcome to enroll at their other campus in Tampa.  

Bay News 9 placed several calls to both the school and the board of directors.  None of them were returned.