The programs for the Emotionally Disturbed are designed to assist students whose behaviors have so adversely affected some aspect of their educational performance that they are unable to function or make acceptable progress with services and/or program options available in less restrictive environments. Most of the students have emotional and behavioral challenges, which are demonstrated in significant interpersonal and social skills deficits as well as some students with poor academic work habits. It is our goal to work collaboratively with students, their families, and community agencies to promote self awareness and self-control, along with the development of productive interpersonal/social skills and necessary coping strategies. Ultimately, our goal is for students to return to their neighborhood school and/or for older students to transition out of public education into an appropriate community setting. Our desire is to provide a safe, supportive environment where students will have the opportunity to mainstream with their peers, and to make progress within a time frame that meets their needs and abilities.

The students served by the Emotionally Disturbed/Special Day Class (ED/SDC) program generally fall within the low average to above average intellectual range. Therefore, the majority of students served who have had poor academic success are generally intellectually “capable” of learning and completing assignments, but are not “emotionally” available to the task. In light of our observations of the emotionally disturbed populations, we focus a significant amount of our program time and attention initially to activities, which encourage positive social skills and personal management skills. Academic instruction continues to be a part of each student’s daily program, but may be modified to accommodate each student’s current emotional/behavioral status.

For more information on special education eligibility criteria and placement procedures, please click here (387k pdf) for the ED/SDC Program Criteria Manual.