Aug 21, 2017, Huntley Daily Herald (IL): Huntley alternative school helps students with anxiety, focus problems, more http://www.dailyherald.com/news/20170821/huntley-alternative-school-helps-students-with-anxiety-focus-problems-more
…The Huntley High School Alternative School, which began in January, helps students who are falling behind with earning credits to catch up, providing them individualized instruction in a smaller classroom setting, and extra social-emotional support.
"Kids aren't there because of discipline issues," said Danyce Letkewicz, Huntley High School associate principal. "Kids that are experiencing anxiety or school avoidance ... it's kind of a wide variety. Some kids just never fit in the standard model of a high school, some have severe ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), severe anxiety or don't love high school."...
Algonquin-based Community Unit District 300 is launching a program this fall at a Carpentersville elementary school for students struggling with emotional traumas and behavioral issues to improve their academic performance and overall health.
Last fall, Elgin Area School District U-46 launched its DREAM Academy -- a revamped alternative program for students struggling in conventional classrooms. That program also provides smaller class sizes of 15 to 20 students and an array of teaching strategies aimed at helping them develop social-emotional skills and eventually return to their home school to graduate with their peers.
Childhood Lost
Children today are noticeably different from previous generations, and the proof is in the news coverage we see every day. This site shows you what’s happening in schools around the world. Children are increasingly disabled and chronically ill, and the education system has to accommodate them. Things we've long associated with autism, like sensory issues, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and lack of social skills, are now problems affecting mainstream students. Blame is predictably placed on bad parenting (otherwise known as trauma from home).
Addressing mental health needs is as important as academics for modern educators. This is an unrecognized disaster. The stories here are about children who can’t learn or behave like children have always been expected to. What childhood has become is a chilling portent for the future of mankind.