A group of north country parents, many of whose children have learning disabilities, are starting a movement to establish a charter school that could offer specialized instruction not typically found in public schools.

The push to start a charter school, along with support of a state voucher system that would enable parents to send children to the schools of their choice, are two issues being addressed by a group called Reading Experts and Advocates for Dyslexia.

The READ group was started earlier this year by Dr. David R. Smith, an anesthesiologist at Samaritan Medical Center, whose 12-year-old son, Nathaniel, has dyslexia.

Dyslexia is a language-based disability and is the most common cause of reading, writing and spelling difficulties.

Although Nathaniel has been receiving some services through the South Jefferson Central School District, his parents decided there was more that could be done to help him.

Parents in the READ group "have universally experienced either a slowness in response or complete lack of response by the schools with regard to their concerns and suggestions for helping their children," Dr. Smith wrote in a recent letter to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan.

The physician requested an expansion of state funding for charter schools and establishment of a voucher system, which would allow parents to decide which schools would be the best fit for their children, he said.

One option locally may be to establish a school operated by the Knowledge Is Power Program, based in Houston, Dr. Smith said. The organization operates charter schools nationwide, and many of those schools have been successful in helping disadvantaged students score well above the average test scores in their states, he said.

"The Bill Gates Foundation and the owners of The Gap Inc. were so impressed with their results that they recently donated $65 million to expand KIPP in Houston to include 10 percent of Houston's student population," Dr. Smith said.

He is hoping parents in Jefferson County can find a sponsor to start a charter school, which must be approved by the state Education Department. It's typically done with a combination of public and private financing, Dr. Smith said.

"In some instances, it's done at less expense than the cost of public school," Dr. Smith said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Smith said he found an educational option called Arrowsmith that he believes will help his son. It's a cognitive rehabilitation program that is offered at several private and parochial schools in Canada.

Arrowsmith focuses on stimulating the "underperforming" areas of the brain that are contributing to a learning disability, according to the program's Web site. It's based on the concept that children diagnosed with learning disabilities have average or above average intelligence, but can't fully utilize all parts of their brains.

The program doesn't teach them to work around their "weak areas" but to isolate and strengthen them, according to the Web site.

Dr. Smith is considering sending his son to a private school next fall in Brockville, Ontario, that offers the Arrowsmith program.

But that doesn't mean he's giving up the effort to change things locally, the physician said. Many parents don't have the option of sending their child to a private boarding school, he said.

If there were a charter school in Jefferson County offering Arrowsmith, he could keep his son closer to home, Dr. Smith said.

Anyone interested in joining the READ group can e-mail Dr. Smith at plexusmaster@yahoo.com. To find out more about Arrowsmith, visit www.arrowsmithschool.org .

Other north country medical news:

Dr. Riccardo Turrin recently joined the Canton-Potsdam Hospital emergency department staff. The department is operated by North Star Emergency Physicians.

Dr. Turrin worked as an emergency department physician for the past eight years at Massena Memorial Hospital and at emergency departments in New York, Pennsylvania and Canada.

He earned his undergraduate degree in chemistry at McGill University in Montreal and his medical degree from the Université de Montréal. Dr. Turrin completed a family medicine residency at Cité de la Santé de Laval Hospital of the Université de Montréal with a subspecialty in emergency medicine.

He is board-certified in family medicine by the American Board of Family Medicine and is certified in family medicine by the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

Dr. Turrin is also certified in advanced trauma life support, advanced cardiac life support and pediatric advanced life support.

Two Carthage Area Hospital employees recently received master of science degrees in health services administration from the SUNY Institute of Technology, Utica.

The degrees were awarded to Joseph W. Millard, administrator of special services, and Zachary K. Chapman, administrator of primary care. Both have bachelor's degrees in health services administration from Empire State College.

The 18th Annual Carthage Federal Golf Classic sponsored by the Carthage Area Hospital Foundation has been scheduled for 9 a.m. July 27 at Carlowden Country Club, Denmark. Registration is $70 per person or $280 per team and includes 18 holes of golf, lunch and dinner, along with special contests, gifts and prizes. Teams entering before July 6 are eligible for a discounted price of $260 per team.

Entry forms are available at the hospital foundation's office, 318 State St., Carthage, or can be obtained by calling the office at 493-0114.