From the Yeshiva Manual to the Annual Calendar to application forms and more, here you’ll find links to frequently used Yeshiva policies and documents.

Yeshiva Manual

• Knapp Yeshiva Guide for Students and Families
  • Note: In order to sign the Acknowledgment on the final page of the manual, please download the file, save to your files, and open the document in Adobe
• Knapp Yeshiva Calendar

Application Process

• Application for Partnership Admission
• Application for Private Full Time Admission
• Partnership School Form

Miscellaneous Forms 

• Consent for Release of Protected Health Information (HIPAA Form)
  • Note: Please download the Consent for Release by right clicking the link above and selecting Save Link As
• Bullying Policy

The Resource Room—fondly known as the Knapp School Library—is a calm, welcoming space where students can explore a diverse collection of reading materials or simply take a break from the bustle of the day. Whether they're checking out a favorite book, requesting a new title, diving into classwork, or taking a test, students can visit with their classes or alongside a member of their support team. Cozy couches and study tables make it the perfect spot for reading, studying, or working on group projects.

The library also serves as a shared workspace for our IEP Specialist, Reading & Instruction Specialist and Coach, and IT Support Specialist—bringing together learning, support, and technology in one thoughtfully designed space.

Many parents eagerly anticipate reintegration for their child, but it can be a daunting process. Students may approach reintegration with excitement, anxiety or fear at the prospect of returning to their home schools, where they faced tough educational or emotional challenges. 

Knapp School & Yeshiva prioritizes supporting our students and their families, our teachers and mainstream school staff during the reintegration process.  

Our students often return to their home school on a part-time basis, spending half their day there and half at Knapp School & Yeshiva, where they can continue to receive support from special education teachers, social workers and other service providers. This gives the Reintegration Team a way to maintain close contact with your child, while also being your child's bridge to new teachers. 

Our students also attend weekly support group meetings, where they can receive therapeutic support and share struggles and strategies with their peers.  

The Reintegration Team wants a smooth transition for your child.  We will work with you and your child to propose solutions to any obstacles, which could mean postponing reintegration if the child is not ready. 

We collaborate with students and their families, teachers and community representatives in creating curriculum and in providing services and supports. It is a process that builds on itself, with goals that evolve as each student gets older and gains new insights. Transition goals often are addressed within the classroom and with direct service providers. Our students explore career interests and post-secondary options through assessment and investigation.  If they are interested in finding part-time employment, they may receive guidance and support from school staff. Services may also be provided in a group format, such as through career education workshops, job readiness trainings/activities, college tours, or life skills groups.

Our career counselor works with our students to help them prepare for, and obtain, work in the community. In addition, our counselors develop relationships with local employers to create career opportunities for our high school students.

Through our School Job Program, our students gain work experience and develop skills through supervised, school-based work opportunities. Students on the highest level of the behavior system are paid for their job.

Finally, we provide transition support to our students by connecting them to community resources, disability benefits, transition-related events, post-secondary education and employment options.

We prioritize our students' development and growth and strive to provide customized support that builds strong relationships between students, their parents and educators.

All students are assigned a social worker who provides a range of services, including individual therapy, group therapy, parent support, case management, consultation with community providers and crisis intervention. Whether students need to talk about a deeply personal situation, or are experiencing a challenging time during the school day, their social worker is the first of many therapeutic supports available to them.

Social workers and students are matched based on students' needs and social workers' corresponding expertise. The goal is to make an assignment that most closely addresses students' concerns whenever possible.

With the social worker as the student’s primary support, other JCFS Chicago Knapp School & Yeshiva therapeutic supports include:

• Certified Learning Behavior Specialists
• School-based speech therapy and occupational therapy, when appropriate
• Parent consultation with psychiatrist
• School reintegration counselor
• Staff that have been trained in Therapeutic Crisis Interventions (TCI) and Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS)

There also is support for the student who wants to prepare for a job or college, and needs help learning how to apply for and maintain a job, and how to prepare for the rigors of college. Knapp School & Yeshiva also has a Transition focused classroom for students who need to develop independent living skills.

Therapeutic Supports at Knapp School & Yeshiva is led by Allison Stevens, Clinical Director.

We offer a dynamic academic and enriching curriculum.

• Foreign language for high-school students (Spanish and, for Yeshiva students, Hebrew)
• Extensive visual arts program (clay, pottery, charcoal, collage and more)
• Corrective reading program
• Resource Room for academic support
• Physical education program
• Driver’s education course
• Extended school year (a summer program that combines educational courses with recreational activities)

Student achievement is measured & documented.

• Cumulative student academic evidence portfolio
• Midterm, quarterly and semester progress reports and report cards
• Mid-semester open house and parent-teacher conferences
• Quarterly clinical reports

Visual Arts 

Visual Arts Students participate in an extensive visual arts program every week in the school’s art studio. Instruction is provided by a creative arts teacher who is also a practicing artist. Hands on projects completed during the school year include clay, pottery, charcoal, collage, jewelry-making and more. Twice a year students can select pieces of their artwork to sell at the school’s student art sale.

Animal Assisted Therapy Service

Knapp School & Yeshiva students enjoy weekly animal assisted therapy from a very beloved dog. Animal assisted therapy works wonders in cultivating self-esteem and self- confidence with students who might be struggling in these areas. In addition, research shows that animal assisted therapy provides endless benefits such as: emotional regulation, lowering blood pressure, encouraging more focused interaction and lifting moods. 

Driver’s Education

Once a year, certified driver’s education instructors provide training to a select number of eligible high school juniors and seniors. Students are given the opportunity to participate in classroom instruction during the school day and can complete their behind-the-wheel hours.

Extended School Year

Our summer program (ESY) is offered to help minimize student regression in academic and social-emotional development while strengthening core academic skills. This program maintains the integrity and supports of the regular school year with a highly structured environment, a low student-to teacher ratio, and a balanced blend of classroom academics, enrichment programming and recreational activities.

Snoezelen Room

The Snoezelen Room, a multi-sensory environment designed to help students relax, reduce agitation, and increase positive communication has many benefits. This space also provides opportunities to integrate sensory stimuli and increase socialization. Students can adjust the room’s varied sensory stimuli (i.e. sound, brightness, color and smell) to a desirable level. In the process of determining the preferred amount of stimulus, the student’s level of arousal is also being regulated. Time in the Snoezelen Room is scheduled by the class or student and is supervised by school staff.

Expressive Group Therapies

In partnership with professional therapists, Knapp School & Yeshiva students may receive weekly dance, music, or other expressive group therapies in their classroom. In addition to their weekly social work group that has more traditional activities, students in these groups are allowed the opportunity to use their creative talents to process through different emotions. These groups are designed to help students regulate and tolerate negative feelings that are stored in the body.  Other themes addressed in these groups include: interpersonal relationships, bullying and isolation.  

Other Extra-Curricular Opportunities

The Knapp School & Yeshiva provides opportunities throughout the year for students to participate in other interscholastic activities within the school and with other therapeutic day schools. These activities can include: basketball, bowling, chess leagues, a spelling bee, touch football, volleyball, soccer and more!

We invite you to take your time visiting our site and learn everything you want to know about the Knapp School & Yeshiva starting with our most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

You can also use the search tool at the top of the page to find answers to your questions.

The school has 17 modern class rooms fully equipped with computers, monitored Internet access and private bathrooms. There also is a Resource Room, an art studio, an open studio, gymnasium, a speech therapy room, an occupational therapy room and a conference room. There are four time away-rooms and alternative spaces for students to seek solitude outside of their classrooms as needed.

Our Resource Room offers students a quiet place to work on classroom assignments or homework, or a place to meet with their academic coordinator during lunch. Students who are reintegrating to their home school also use the Resource Room as a place to complete, or get help with, assignments.

More than a library, not exactly a classroom, our Resource Room has more than 45 shelves of books, computers and a serene decor. It's also popular with our teachers, who often bring small groups of students to work on projects, or access educational resources for their classrooms. Students ask to visit the resource room when they want quiet time to work on classroom assignments or homework.  Teachers may bring in small groups of students to work with in an environment outside of the regular classroom. Or, students seeking a bit of one-on-one time with someone they can talk to often stop by to enjoy a lunch-time chat with the academic coordinator.

It also serves as the hub for The Mag, the Knapp School & Yeshiva "zine" that features student-created stories, poems and artwork.