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School History & Namesake

A black and white portrait of an elderly woman with glasses and a white blouse under a dark jacket is set against a dark, blurred background.

Jo Kelly School is currently in the building that was originally named Crestwood Elementary School.

Crestwood was built in 1943 and served students in the Crestwood area. Years later, due to low enrollment, Crestwood ceased to function as a regular elementary school. In May of 1976 most of the original building burned, leaving only the gym and cafeteria. When the school was rebuilt, it was designed specifically for educating students with disabilities. The school reopened in 1977 and began serving students with disabilities ages thirteen to twenty-one. At this time, the school was renamed "Jo Kelly School" in honor of Ms. Josephine (Jo) D. Kelly. Ms. Kelly was the first Director of Special Education for the Fort Worth Independent School District.

In 1983, the student population of Jo Kelly changed again. The secondary students with less severe disabilities were moved to Bluebonnet. Jo Kelly began serving students with severe multiple handicaps ranging in age from three to twenty-one. Today, Jo Kelly School continues to educate medically fragile students with severe and profound disabilities, aged three to twenty-one.

A yellow forklift sits in the foreground of a brick building under construction, with trees and a clear sky in the background.
A long, low brick building with a clear sky behind it sits on a dirt lot with a path in the foreground.
A brick building under construction with a dirt lot in the foreground and trees and a clear sky in the background.
A pile of wood debris sits in the foreground of a partially constructed wooden building with trees and a pale sky in the background.