It is designed to serve students whose needs cannot be adequately met in their home school districts. Classrooms are designed to serve students who are struggling with a variety of special education disabilities, such as, but not limited to, severe emotional concerns, anxiety, depression, physical symptoms of fears associated with school problems, behavior issues, inattention, hyperactivity, autis
m, and overall low functioning in cognition, academics, and life skills. This program offers students small class sizes, a highly structured environment, and low student to teacher ratio. Some of the students’ needs are severe enough to also require a personal aide. Every student participates in a charting system and levels that the students strive to achieve. Academics are offered at the level that each student needs through individualized instruction and group instruction. Each student receives school social work services as indicated in their Individualized Education Plan. In addition, all students participate in a social skills class every day for 30 minutes. The class is instructed by the special education teacher and supported through the school social worker. The school social workers also work with families to connect them with a variety of community resources that would be beneficial. The primary focus, both in the classroom and in counseling, is to give the students the social and behavioral skills they need to successfully return to their home schools. There is no predetermined time frame for returning to the home school; this can take anywhere from a few months to several years, depending on the students’ progress and the decisions of the IEP team. Middlefork School is also home to the Vermilion County Regional Safe School. This program is for students in grades 6 - 12 who have been expelled by their home school district and have been given the opportunity to attend Middlefork to continue working towards earning credits which they would not otherwise have had the opportunity to do. This self-contained classroom size is approximately 20 and the majority of instruction is individualized via computer software. Students are held to strict disciplinary guidelines and must pass a drug screen to be in the program. Length of time in RSSP can range depending upon the length of expulsion. The goal of this program is to continue the student's education in an alternate setting until they are able to return to their home school. The Vermilion County Alternative Education Program is also housed in Middlefork School. This program is for students who are in 7th or 8th grade and who are at risk of dropping out of school. Students may have truancy issues, low motivation, or multiple retentions and are years behind the students in their grade level. They may have skill deficits and need the support offered in a smaller classroom setting. Students with multiple suspensions or expulsions are not eligible for this program. The goal of this program is to get students back on track to being successful in school before returning them to their home schools. Counseling, career exploration, and community service are all part of this self-contained pilot program.
