New A.E.R.O. campus brings light, nature, and comfort to special education students
A.E.R.O. Special Education Cooperative rented a 50-year-old facility to serve its 11 member school districts. A new campus provides a safe, nurturing environment with connections to daylight and nature for students with cognitive/physical disabilities and behavior/emotional diversities. The design responds to the challenges these students face and encourages them to become active members of the classroom.
The 150,000-square-foot facility, one of the largest of its kind in the Midwest, features neighborhoods that promote familiarity and comfort. Connections to secure courtyards support student/nature interactions, while the materials palette reflects the colors, textures, and forms of the natural environment.
This building represents a center of learning, but what it really is for students and families is a center of hope.
Dr. Bill Roseland, Executive Director, A.E.R.O. Special Education Cooperative
We are proud to be one of the four founding schools of the A.E.R.O. Cooperative and to have a role in providing our deserving students with one of the best special needs schools in the country.
Thomas O’Malley, Superintendent, Evergreen Park Community High School District 231
