It’s dark outside at 6:30 a.m., but it’s time for Georgia Hartle to wake her son and get him ready for the 7:30 a.m. bus to school. Joshua finds some music on his mom’s phone, gets dressed and eats breakfast. Sausage is his favorite.

The Butler boy likes riding the bus, his mom says, but the walk to the bus in the winter is a cold one. Once on the bus, he is accompanied by an aide and safely harnessed to his seat for the hourlong ride.

The 13-year-old attends The Watson Institute, an approved private special education school licensed by the state to serve children with a range of developmental disabilities.

Joshua has Down syndrome, a chromosomal condition that affects the social, intellectual and physical development of about 5,000 newborns in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The condition means that, in addition to the regular trials of raising a child-turned-teenager, the Butler family faces extra challenges in addressing Joshua’s special needs, finding an effective educational option and connecting with social services.

In many ways, Joshua is like any other child.

He sings and dances. He has a great appetite and is not a picky eater. He plays tricks on his parents and likes to watch funny videos. He smiles and shares, and sometimes gets frustrated when he is told no.

But children with Down syndrome can see delays in reaching developmental milestones.

Though every child’s case is unique, the condition may be accompanied by memory, vision or hearing loss; problems with the heart and digestive system; and other issues.

Joshua’s chromosomal abnormality was detected during a prenatal exam, Hartle said. In light of her own health conditions, medical staff suggested abortion. She refused.

“He is what the good Lord gave me,” she said. After several previous miscarriages, she calls Joshua “my angel.”

Hartle credits Joshua for saving her life, after doctors discovered her heart condition during prenatal examinations.

A 6 lb. 11 oz. baby, Joshua was delivered early after showing signs of distress. He spent four months in the neonatal intensive care unit at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md., where he underwent open-heart surgery and was fed through a G-tube after his intestines ruptured, Hartle said. Joshua received early services to help with walking, body strength and communication.

Still learning to speak, the 13-year-old uses sign language and sound to get his mother’s attention. Sometimes, he struggles with emotion regulation and might throw things, though this behavior has improved, his mother said.

“She has her hands full with him,” said family friend Hanz Nützer, who stops in to help the family and interact with Joshua.

Hartle, who was a machine operator at Good Humor-Breyers ice cream plant in Hagerstown, Md., before Joshua was born, faces other challenges at home.

She is the guardian of her brother, who has suffered multiple strokes, and, she said, neither she nor her husband, John, can drive because of their own health conditions. With family members residing in North Carolina, Hartle must ask for rides from friends or use Aire-Ride for medical and other appointments.

The lack of transportation has kept Joshua out of extracurricular activities and limited his interaction with other children, Hartle said, making time with classmates that much more important.

Pennsylvania law requires that children eligible for special education services receive free appropriate public education (FAPE) with an individualized education plan (IEP). This program may include special transportation, speech, physical or occupational therapy, psychological counseling and other services.

In 2022-23, more than 19% of public-school students in Pennsylvania received special education programs and services, according to a 2024 report by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. The number represents a significant 27% increase since the 2012-13 school year.

Hartle praised special education teacher Courtney Nichols and the special education program at Butler’s Northwest Elementary School on Staley Avenue, which he attended for kindergarten through sixth grade.

Hartle said Joshua attended Butler Intermediate for “maybe a week” but “they couldn’t figure Josh out.”

Now attending The Watson Institute in Sewickley, the seventh-grader receives academic instruction, speech therapy and occupational therapy services. Importantly, Hartle said, Joshua has a chance to play and interact with other children.

The Watson Institute is equipped to provide more supervision than a public school, according to Kara D. Mostowy, the school’s chief development officer.

“Each classroom is staffed by a teacher and aides, with support staff providing additional services,” Mostowy said. “We work closely with schools and parents to develop a clear plan and structure for each child.”

Pennsylvania families do not pay for schooling through an approved private school facility, Mostowy said. Instead, the state education department pays 60% while the child’s school district pays the remaining 40%.

Hartle said she has noticed Joshua has “made progress” during his time at the Watson Institute and calls the experience “wonderful.”

A continuing concern for the family, however, has been Joshua’s tendency to run away unsupervised.

Not only has Joshua “escaped” his home or yard on numerous occasions, he walked out the door at a doctor’s office and even sneaked out of his house while a social worker was on site, his mother said.

Hartle said she and her husband have taken steps to keep their son safe at home — installing childproof safety grips on doorknobs and padlocks on their doors, using a fenced-in yard and providing constant supervision, including babysitters, when they have to run errands. But it isn’t always enough.

Family friend Nützer said Joshua is an expert at removing locks and barricades.

A Sept. 17 incident, in which Joshua was found in a neighbor’s garage, was the fourth time the child had been reported and found unsupervised outside the home, according to Butler Township Police Lt. Matthew Pearson, who was acting chief at the time.

After three warnings, it was clear that “something was not working,” Pearson said, and charges were filed.

Hartle said she knew she could face charges, but it was from a Facebook post that she first learned she would be charged with child endangerment, a first-degree misdemeanor that carries a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of not more than $10,000.

Hartle said she is frustrated and hurt the information was published and spread on social media before she even knew about it herself.

“I felt like they were out to ruin me,” Hartle said, adding when her previous landlord decided to sell her building, a county social services worker had to intervene to help her get a new apartment after a background check revealed the charges, which have yet to come to trial.

Comments on the Facebook post revealed a divide in public sentiment. Some people offered solutions or acknowledged their own children or loved ones demonstrate similar behaviors. Others said more should have been done by the family. One commenter suggested, “Let’s hear more before judging.”

Hartle said the social media post also has impacted her personal relationships, as several relatives did not make their annual visit for Joshua’s birthday or Christmas.

“It’s not fair for Josh,” she said.

As a mandated reporter of suspected child neglect or abuse, township police referred the Sept. 17 incident to the state Department of Human Services’ ChildLine. Incidents are then directed to the appropriate county’s Children and Youth Services agency for investigation within 10 days or within 24 hours for suspected child abuse.

The county investigation includes a comprehensive 14-point safety assessment, on-site visits and extensive interviews with people in the home before a determination is made, according to Karianne Sarnese, assistant director of Butler County CYS.

In the case of a child who may be leaving the home unsupervised, the agency’s safety assessment would consider the child’s age, awareness and ability to keep themselves safe, Sarnese said. An “egregious” lack of supervision could be considered child abuse or a case of neglect.

The department found the report of child abuse related to Hartle’s Sept. 17 charges to be “unfounded,” according to an Oct. 29 letter sent to Hartle.

Still, families may receive ongoing intervention and support, Sarnese said. Cases considered high-risk will receive ongoing weekly visits from CYS staff, while those of moderate or lower risk will receive ongoing monthly visits so long as the agency identifies ongoing needs.

Hartle said she has received support from CYS caseworkers who visit the family on a monthly basis to “check in” and “lay eyes on Joshua.”

CYS also can refer families to partnering agencies, such as Butler’s Family Pathways, where Joshua received several years of psychiatric services to help manage his anger issues, according to his mother.

Elan Welter Lewis, executive director of Family Pathways in Butler, said her agency works to address each family’s unique challenges in caring for children with disabilities such as Down syndrome.

“We really love the families in Butler County and try to develop programs that can help them,” she said.

“The doctor, the nurses there were great,” Hartle said. “They loved Josh.”

Hartle is optimistic about Joshua’s future. She envisions a time when her son can “be successful” and maybe even take care of himself.

Although CYS found the Sept. 17 report of child abuse to be “unfounded,” the decision does not impact other investigations or legal action stemming from the police charges, CYS’s Sarnese said.

Hartle hoped the case would be dismissed at a Jan. 7 arraignment. Instead, she was asked to sign a plea that acknowledged her guilt. Again, she refused.

“I did not endanger my child,” she said.

Navigating a web of social services and educational challenges has been tough for many years, Hartle said. But, her husband added, the pending charges add a layer of stress that further jeopardizes his wife's health.

Hartle is scheduled for a status conference Tuesday, Feb. 18 in Butler County Common Pleas Court. She said she hopes her public defender and the court will hear her side of the story.