school district equipped to handle teen with severe depression - 30-40 minute radius of Westmont (Aurora: for sale)

[sunshine479]

Looking for a suburb within 30 minutes of Westmont/Oakbrook area but also about 30 minutes from North Aurora. We have a teenager newly diagnosed with anxiety and depression and are looking for a district with staff that will handle both disorders with compassion (and knowledge). We have never had to get an IEP before and so this is all new territory for us.

We have considered Naperville. Looking for decent schools (elementary, middle, and high school - they don't have to be the best, as we don't need additional anxiety), schools that don't tolerate bullying, diversity and inclusion are valued and expected (leaving a district where kids yell, "let's build a wall" to the four Hispanic kids in the school), basketball coaches that aren't aggressive screamers (middle and high school), 4 bedroom homes in the 350-425k range, and of course - low crime. We are nervous to buy right now with the state of IL, so we might consider renting for a year to make sure this is a good move for our family.

Thank you in advance!

[doodlemagic]

Hopefully some people will chime in with some schools that have good programs. I think a lot of these things your looking for are going to be very dependent upon individual teachers, coaches, etc regardless of what type of climate the actual school is. Kids are immature and can be mean and while it's great having a school climate where bullying and what not isn't tolerated, at the same time teachers can only do so much and they can't really police social media which is a whole new challenge kids these days face. I'd definitely recommend finding something your child is interested in and passionate about whether it be theatre, sports, chess, etc and get them involved and making some friends that way.

[Kmanshouse]

My house will be for sale come spring and fits your criteria perfectly. Central Naperville. If you can wait until then to buy, send me a PM.

[sunshine479]

Thank you - we would like to move as soon as possible.

[chet everett]

I would suggest that any student with severe mental health issues is probably best served in a specialized school. This article is from 2000, I don't know if there has been an expansion of such specialized schools, but there is absolutely a huge need for more -- School Provides Unique Antidote For Depression - tribunedigital-chicagotribune I'd urge the OP to contact the folks associated with Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Adolescent Day School in Glenview for recommendations.

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by sunshine479

Looking for a suburb within 30 minutes of Westmont/Oakbrook area but also about 30 minutes from North Aurora. We have a teenager newly diagnosed with anxiety and depression and are looking for a district with staff that will handle both disorders with compassion (and knowledge). We have never had to get an IEP before and so this is all new territory for us.

We have considered Naperville. Looking for decent schools (elementary, middle, and high school - they don't have to be the best, as we don't need additional anxiety), schools that don't tolerate bullying, diversity and inclusion are valued and expected (leaving a district where kids yell, "let's build a wall" to the four Hispanic kids in the school), basketball coaches that aren't aggressive screamers (middle and high school), 4 bedroom homes in the 350-425k range, and of course - low crime. We are nervous to buy right now with the state of IL, so we might consider renting for a year to make sure this is a good move for our family.

Thank you in advance!

I would suggest you reach out to your child's clinicians if you are in the area. Alternatively, if you are moving to the area, I would contact someone at one of the local PHP/IOP programs for their recommendations.