Fighting for Kolten: A Single Mom’s Hope That South Carolina Will Fix School Choice 

For Allison Laney, finding the right school for her son, Kolten, was never just about education—it was about safety. 

“He was born fine, healthy—everything was good, but he would have frequent ear infections” she said. “I chalked it up to daycare germs. You know how they’re always sick, coming home with something. Then one morning, he woke up with his ear swollen like a little Dumbo ear.” 

Rushed to an ear, nose and throat specialist, Kolten was diagnosed with mastoiditis—an infection in the bone behind the ear. “They said he needed surgery right away,” she said. “So, they went in to replace the tubes.” 

That’s when everything changed. 

“His heart rate crashed on the table,” she said. “They had to give him two doses of medication to bring it back up. Then they shipped us to Greenville, where they diagnosed him. They’re pretty persistent that he was born with it,” she said. “But there were never any signs, nothing obvious.” 

A year later, Kolten’s heart rate dropped even lower, and doctors told Laney it was time for a pacemaker. He was just 4 years old. 

By the time he reached school age, it was clear he needed a learning environment where his teachers knew his medical history, could watch for warning signs, and where he wouldn’t be lost in a crowd. Laney first enrolled him in a local daycare, but a leadership change made it clear they weren’t comfortable handling his medical needs. 

She found Anderson Christian School, where the response was completely different. 

“I was open and honest with them, and they just said, ‘We’ve got this. We’ll work together and figure out what we need to do,’” she said. “They were ecstatic to have him.” 

The difference in his learning experience was immediate. 

“The small class sizes were everything,” Laney said. “Before, in bigger classes, he wasn’t excelling at all. He wasn’t learning what he needed to learn. But here? They notice when he needs extra help. His teacher is a text away—she’ll let me know if he’s struggling and what we can do at home to help.” 

For the first time, Kolten was not only safe at school—he was thriving. But as a single mother, she couldn’t afford private school on her own.  

“I don’t have extras to cut back from,” she said. “It’s just me. I was paying my house payment, my car payment, utilities, insurance—it was gone after that.” 

Anderson Christian told her about the South Carolina Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESFT), an Education Savings Account offering up to $6,000 for eligible families. 

“They said, ‘Try and apply for this and see if you can get it. If not, we’ll still work with you. We want him here,’” she said. “And he got it.” 

For three months, Kolten was exactly where he needed to be. Then, suddenly, the money was gone. Like thousands of other parents, she was blindsided when the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled against ESFT, deciding that tuition could no longer be covered. 

“In September, they pulled the funding,” Laney said. “I was like, well, shoot—now what? I had no money to continue this. They approved it, gave us the funding, got our kids in school—and then just yanked it away three months in,” she said.  

“My only option was to move him back to the public school because I can’t afford the tuition,” she said. “But that wasn’t an option for him. His pacemaker is in his belly, under his ribs. If he gets hit or falls just right, there’s nothing protecting it.” 

Anderson Christian worked with her, and private donors stepped in with rescue funds, which allowed Kolton to stay at Anderson, but the uncertainty hasn’t gone away. 

“They’re saying it will help, but we don’t know how much,” she said. “We’re just waiting to see what happens next.” 

Laney isn’t the only one in limbo. 

“I know so many other families who got the same letter I did,” she said. “Parents who moved their kids to schools they thought they could afford, only to be told, ‘Sorry, figure it out yourself.’ I know people who had no choice but to take their kids out,” she said. “I don’t know how we got so lucky that Anderson Christian is willing to work with me. Not every family had that.” 

Kolten, now in kindergarten, doesn’t understand the legal battle. He just knows he wants to stay where he is. 

“I was talking to him about it in the car,” she said. “And he told me, ‘I want to go to the same school. My friends are there.’” 

In February 2025, the South Carolina House passed an expanded version of the ESTF bill, removing income caps and setting scholarships at $9,000 per student in the first year, increasing to 90% of average per-pupil funding in future years. The bill now heads to the Senate. 

Laney has been vocal about urging lawmakers to fix the system. 

“I’ve sent letters. I’ll keep sending them,” she said. “We’re hardworking people. We just want to know that our kids are safe, learning, and that their futures won’t be ripped away again. This isn’t just about a school preference,” she said. “This is about making sure my child is safe. This is about his future.” 

For now, she waits—hoping that this time, lawmakers get it right.