Lafayette School

Mission: Lafayette School is a specialized educational institution that serves students with emotional and behavioral disorders. The school describes itself as a small school that is as strong as the community that holds it up, working together to affect real change.

Specialized Educational Services:

Lafayette School provides individualized educational services for students with various emotional and behavioral challenges. Each child is individually evaluated to determine if they meet the criteria for admission, with no exclusions based on cultural background or gender.

Admission Criteria:

The school serves students who meet specific criteria including:
* Psychiatric Illness or Emotional Disability - Such as depression or anxiety that interferes with the student's ability to perform at home, school, and in the community
* Dangerous Behavior Towards Self or Others - Including loss of control, aggression, suicidal thoughts, drug or alcohol abuse, or other self-destructive behaviors
* Altered Mental Status - Impaired reality testing, illogical or distorted thought processing, psychotic features
* Unsuccessful in Previous Less Restrictive Environment - Students who have not succeeded with outpatient therapy or home-based services
* Symptoms of Behavior Disorders - Including attention deficit, oppositional defiant disorder, poor social skills, poor anger management, school avoidance, or impaired judgment and impulse control
* Severe Psychosocial Stressors or Trauma

Comprehensive Support Team:

The school employs a multidisciplinary team including teachers, therapists, and program counselors. Their therapy team includes talk therapists and art therapists, while their program counseling team provides additional support services.

Special Considerations:

Students with intellectual disabilities, autism, or pervasive developmental disorders are evaluated individually to determine if they can benefit from the program. The school carefully evaluates children with high risk to hurt themselves or others, degenerative mental conditions, or those who do not form therapeutic relationships, as these may require more intensive treatment. Students with primary substance abuse problems are typically not eligible unless they concurrently receive treatment for their addiction or have recently completed such treatment successfully.

Admission Process:

Students may be offered admission on a conditional basis or trial period to determine if they can benefit from the services provided. Additional testing such as neurological or psychological evaluations may be requested to determine appropriateness for admission.

Community Engagement:

The school actively seeks community support and offers various ways for people to join their mission, including volunteer opportunities, fundraising events, and ways to spread their message to friends and family.