The Admissions Process at The Jefferson School

All referrals to The Jefferson School day program and residential program are processed without regard to the child’s race, religion, sex or national origin. The Jefferson School accepts male and female students who demonstrate a capacity to benefit from the educational and therapeutic services we offer.All applicants for admission to the program must have a current psychiatric diagnosis that meets medical necessity criteria for admission, as established by Medical Assistance (MA).

We accept applications for admission from all areas of Maryland, as well as out-of-state residents. As per our Certificate of Need agreement with the State of Maryland, students from the Western Maryland region (Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett counties) will be given priority for admission. Additionally, we maintain up to 16 beds in our R.I.V.E.R.S.program for males aged 12-17. Residents in the sexual behaviors program must meet specific risk assessment criteria for admission.

For our psychiatric Residential Treatment Center, residents must be at least 12 years old and in the 6th grade. In general, we do not admit youth into our residential program who are older than 17 years. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or must be in possession of a current and valid green card. Applicants must be eligible for Maryland Medical Assistance or another source of funding for treatment. If the applicant has not been approved for special education services, alternative arrangements for funding the educational portion of our program must be arranged as well in advance of admission.

The school program is fully accredited by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). It serves students in grades 6-12 who require either a special education or regular education curriculum or occupational/vocational programs. Students should have the intellectual and physical capacity to participate in and benefit from the social, recreational and educational programs we offer in the day program. Children with IQ scores below 65 will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine if we may adequately meet their educational and therapeutic needs.

We welcome applications to our programs. To make an application for admission to our day school or residential programs, please contact us at:

The Jefferson School
2940 Point of Rocks Road
Jefferson, MD 21755
Phone: (301) 624-8435
Fax: (301) 624-8407

Admissions Coordinator:

Meghan Jancuk

Phone: (301) 624-8435
Fax: (301) 624-8407

All referral packets should contain the following information:

• Psychiatric Evaluation dated within the past year
• Psychosocial Evaluation dated within the past year
• Psychological Testing, complete with IQ scores, dated within the past 3 years
• Current transcripts and report cards
• Current IEP and related services notes, if applicable
• Educational Assessments dated within the past 3 years
• LCC minutes/CSA approval recommending RTC placement (for RTC admissions only).
• Psychosexual Evaluation (RTC PTS admissions only)
All students admitted to the residential program must have a family member or guardian identified as the child’s primary visiting resource person during the child’s stay at Jefferson.

Criteria for Admission/Exclusion Criteria

Applications for admission to either our day school or residential programs are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Our applications for admission are reviewed weekly by our clinical team including the Principal, Clinical Director, and Medical Director. During the evaluation process, we consider the applicant’s presenting issues, diagnoses and the capacity of the program to meet the applicant’s needs. Listed below are clinical issues that would require more information and may preclude admission to the residential programs:

• Significant fire setting history
• History of use of weapons/firearms
• Primary diagnosis of substance abuse/dependence with secondary conduct disorder
• Cognitive Developmental Delays (In general, we would have to review applicants with IQs lower than 65 to insure that they could benefit from the educational and therapeutic services that we provide).
• Male applicants with significant sexual offenses or sexual acting out must be served in our 16 beds R.I.V.E.R.S. program. We do not admit individuals with a severe sexual abuse disorder directly into our general programs.
• Current suicidal or homicidal threats or other active symptoms that would indicate a need for acute psychiatric treatment prior to admission to our psychiatric Residential Treatment Center or day school.

Should you wish to have a tour of our program or have any questions about the admissions process, please contact our admissions coordinator, at (301)624-8435.