The Aurora Program is a Kindergarten through 8th grade school setting for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities.
Our mission is for all students to develop the social-emotional skills and passion for learning necessary for success in high school, college, and beyond.
The Aurora Program is designed to meet the unique needs of students with exceptionalities in grades K-8 who exhibit emotional and behavioral challenges. The program is dedicated to helping students manage significant emotional reactions, solve behavior challenges, increase positive social interactions, and improve academic progress.
Aurora works closely with the sending school to create short and long term goals. We track progress and communicate with home schools, and if a transition back to the home school is possible we set students up for success.
Aurora is not a time-served program or an expulsion school. Students best served by our program are those with behavior challenges where every possible intervention has been put in place with fidelity, the disruptions are so extreme that they are impacting student learning or classroom and school culture.
Our Campus
Aurora is the only alternative school setting in New Orleans with a facility tailor made for Aurora students. The Aurora building is its own community with small classrooms, dedicated intervention and sensory spaces, and an outdoor playground and basketball court. Adjacent to Behrman Park, our school site is on the Tubman Park Campus which hosts Tubman Montessori and our Constellations Program.
Our Purpose
Constellations is the first program of its kind in New Orleans. In our differentiated school system, all schools are their own LEA (Local Education Agency) and provide special needs students the appropriate services. Many students are served well by their home schools, as determined by their IEP team.
At Aurora, a low student-teacher ratio and focus on relationships and community help reduce student behaviors and emotional difficulties. This allows students to Our program is a full academic day, with teachers teaching Tier 1 curriculum in English language arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies.
Students also participate in enrichment activities like art, physical education, and music.
Constellations provides a high-quality educational space that families in New Orleans can count on, where students have a stable, nurturing, and predictable environment, and where staff can build their expertise and skills as special educators.
School Staffing
The Constellations Program serves students with the most significant needs, and is designed for students who have been identified as having a ModerateProfound Disability through BESE Bulletin 1508 and who qualify for a separate school setting.
Exceptionalities best served by the program include Intellectual Impairments, Autism, or Developmental Delay. Students are grouped by their ability and age levels, as well as sensory and behavioral needs.
Constellations is not an appropriate placement for students who qualify for the standard mCLASS or LEAP assessments. This program is also not designed for students with emotional impairments who do not also have communication or cognitive impairments.
- Speech Therapy
- Occupational/Physical Therapy
- Adaptive Physical Education
- ABA Therapy
- Full-time Nurse
How To Apply
Students are referred to Aurora through their current school.
We only accept students who have a Bulletin 1508 compliant evaluation and corresponding IEP. If your child does not have those in place, please work with your school to establish these so they can initiate the process.
If a student is admitted to the program, a transition plan is put in place involving the family, the sending school, and the Aurora team.
Note: Aurora is not on the NCAP. Parents cannot select it as a placement for their child. Instead, see above for the process. Students transitioning to the Aurora program retain their enrollment at their sending school.
To learn more about the Aurora Program or inquire about a potential referral, contact:
Carissa Kolakauskas
Director of Student Support
Crescent City Schools
ckolakauskas@crescentcityschools.org
504-708-8325