Lawsuits and complaints against Hyde School?

[Anonymous]

On 2006-04-25 15:57:00, Anonymous wrote:

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On 2006-01-18 06:37:00, Anonymous wrote:


"I am gathering information on lawsuits or formal complaints that have been filed against the Hyde School.  I would also like to know about any lawsuits or complaints that are currently pending.  Please post any information you have about past or pending cases.  Thank you."

I am aware of a lawsuit about to be filed against Hyde School. I am not sure if it has to do with the female student having sex with the music teacher or if it has to do with a family who was kicked out and yet Hyde kept their money.  I am sure we will hear something about it soon as these kinds of things can't be kept quiet.



My question is, why does Hyde School open themselves up to this?  Why don't they follow the guidelines, which would prevent all of this controversy?  Hard to believe that their ego gets in the way of rational thinking.



Does anyone from Hyde have an answer for this? "

Any idea what the newest lawsuits against Hyde accuse the school of doing?  I am impressed that some families have the courage to go after Hyde.  I know of a number of parents who would like to sue Hyde but don't have any energy left after doing battle with the school.  It's good to see some people stepping up to the plate.  It's about time that Hyde be held accountable for the serious mistakes it makes.

[Anonymous]

My experience with Hyde and that they accepted my daughter and then require that she leave in early November because it was not safe for her to stay. I had a letter from her therapist in Bath stating that she needed residential treatment.  Even though I did not withdrawn my daughter and she did not withdraw herself, Hyde kept all of our tuition money for the year.  After many pleads and letters, some of the tuition was returned. This is totally unfair in my viewpoint.  I have been hoping to find similar situations and would gladly participate in finding out how many of these cases have happened.

[Anonymous]

On 2006-04-25 19:37:00, Anonymous wrote:

"My experience with Hyde and that they accepted my daughter and then require that she leave in early November because it was not safe for her to stay. I had a letter from her therapist in Bath stating that she needed residential treatment.  Even though I did not withdrawn my daughter and she did not withdraw herself, Hyde kept all of our tuition money for the year.  After many pleads and letters, some of the tuition was returned. This is totally unfair in my viewpoint.  I have been hoping to find similar situations and would gladly participate in finding out how many of these cases have happened."

Unfortuntely your situation is very common at Hyde, in that they seem to accept many students who need mental health services that Hyde isn't  willing to provide.  How can they accept a kid who really needs residential treatment?  Hyde doesn't even have a counseling staff.  This is a tragic situation that is costly to so many people, especially the kids.  Did Hyde know about your child's needs when they accepted her?  You may want to consult a lawyer to see whether Hyde should be held legally responsible for accepting your daughter when the school wasn't prepared to provide her with what she needed.  I feel very bad for you and your family.

[Anonymous]

"Any idea what the newest lawsuits against Hyde accuse the school of doing? I am impressed that some families have the courage to go after Hyde. I know of a number of parents who would like to sue Hyde but don't have any energy left after doing battle with the school. It's good to see some people stepping up to the plate. It's about time that Hyde be held accountable for the serious mistakes it makes."


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I understand and sympathize that you might be burned out from doing battle with Hyde, but come on.  In life I want you to step up to the plate and stand up for what you believe in.  I think it is cowardly to say you think it is great what others are doing, yet you are unwilling to do the same.  You must pick your battles in life, but remember you are setting an example to your child by by letting them see you hide in the sidelines while others fight your battles for you.

Sorry, I understand it might be hard, but I have no respect for people with this attitude.  Grow up!

[Anonymous]

On 2006-04-26 13:49:00, Anonymous wrote:

""Any idea what the newest lawsuits against Hyde accuse the school of doing? I am impressed that some families have the courage to go after Hyde. I know of a number of parents who would like to sue Hyde but don't have any energy left after doing battle with the school. It's good to see some people stepping up to the plate. It's about time that Hyde be held accountable for the serious mistakes it makes."





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I understand and sympathize that you might be burned out from doing battle with Hyde, but come on.  In life I want you to step up to the plate and stand up for what you believe in.  I think it is cowardly to say you think it is great what others are doing, yet you are unwilling to do the same.  You must pick your battles in life, but remember you are setting an example to your child by by letting them see you hide in the sidelines while others fight your battles for you.



Sorry, I understand it might be hard, but I have no respect for people with this attitude.  Grow up!"

I agree.  This person is staying anonymous, asking questions, and yet is admitting to being a coward.  If you can help these people who are battling Hyde then why would you not if you too got burned?

[Anonymous]

On 2006-04-25 19:37:00, Anonymous wrote:

"My experience with Hyde and that they accepted my daughter and then require that she leave in early November because it was not safe for her to stay. I had a letter from her therapist in Bath stating that she needed residential treatment.  Even though I did not withdrawn my daughter and she did not withdraw herself, Hyde kept all of our tuition money for the year.  After many pleads and letters, some of the tuition was returned. This is totally unfair in my viewpoint.  I have been hoping to find similar situations and would gladly participate in finding out how many of these cases have happened."

I'm not sure how many other situations there are like yours, where parents had to withdraw their child from Hyde because the school wasn't safe or Hyde was unable to meet the child's needs, but I'm positive there are a number of such cases.  There's a very active rumor flying around that one family is working with a Connecticut lawyer on a case like this.  What I've heard is that they've either filed suit against Hyde or have threatened to do so.  Perhaps they've agreed to settle the matter, I don't really know.  But it seems real clear that you have a good bit of company out there.  You may want to talk to a lawyer who handles cases like this and practices in whichever state your Hyde campus was located (Maine or Conn.).  I'm positive Hyde has been confronted on this issue.

[Anonymous]

On 2006-04-10 10:11:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Kids are only asked to leave Hyde if they are a threat to the community.  It's sounds like your kid's outbursts don't fit in to the program, disrupting it and making it hard for Hyde to work for the other kids.  

Does he/she have to leave right away or are they just not accepting him/her for next year...

If it's the latter you're not "Out $35K", you paid for the school year and that's what you got.

Hopefully as a family, there was some positive movement, if not, it ain't just your kid's fault for getting the hook!"

I don't know when you were at Hyde, but Hyde does ask families to leave even when there is no "threat" to the community. I have seen instances of families being asked to leave simply because they did not agree with "the great one", Joe Gauld.  I also saw families asked to leave because the administrators couldn't "break" the spirit of the family and control them as Hyde loves to does.  I've also seen the administrators humiliate the families in such cruel ways where they had no choice but to leave.

I think that the concept of Hyde is good, but it is the administrators strange ways that make Hyde a bad school.  Of course there is also the problem of bad academics, but this is secondary.

Hyde Woodstock is having big problems.  The enrollment is down tremendously and what concerns me the most is because of the problems with enrollment, they seem to be accepting most anyone no matter what issues the child has. There is no doubt in my mind how dangerous this is.  You can't put a child with motivation problems in a group with kids who have heavy drug problems.  This is a disaster waiting to happen.  

Hyde needs to decide what kind of school they are and then focus on the type of students they can help and should accept into the program. It cannot be a one size fits all because this won't work!!

[Anonymous]

On 2006-05-03 05:37:00, Anonymous wrote:

"

On 2006-04-10 10:11:00, Anonymous wrote:


"Kids are only asked to leave Hyde if they are a threat to the community.  It's sounds like your kid's outbursts don't fit in to the program, disrupting it and making it hard for Hyde to work for the other kids.  


Does he/she have to leave right away or are they just not accepting him/her for next year...


If it's the latter you're not "Out $35K", you paid for the school year and that's what you got.


Hopefully as a family, there was some positive movement, if not, it ain't just your kid's fault for getting the hook!"

I don't know when you were at Hyde, but Hyde does ask families to leave even when there is no "threat" to the community. I have seen instances of families being asked to leave simply because they did not agree with "the great one", Joe Gauld.  I also saw families asked to leave because the administrators couldn't "break" the spirit of the family and control them as Hyde loves to does.  I've also seen the administrators humiliate the families in such cruel ways where they had no choice but to leave.



I think that the concept of Hyde is good, but it is the administrators strange ways that make Hyde a bad school.  Of course there is also the problem of bad academics, but this is secondary.



Hyde Woodstock is having big problems.  The enrollment is down tremendously and what concerns me the most is because of the problems with enrollment, they seem to be accepting most anyone no matter what issues the child has. There is no doubt in my mind how dangerous this is.  You can't put a child with motivation problems in a group with kids who have heavy drug problems.  This is a disaster waiting to happen.  



Hyde needs to decide what kind of school they are and then focus on the type of students they can help and should accept into the program. It cannot be a one size fits all because this won't work!!"

I've noticed the same pattern you describe.  When Hyde can't get a family to conform and completely buy into Hyde's compulsive, strict, "do it my way or else" approach the family has a real hard time.  The pressure can be enormous.  If a parent really gets under a Hyde administrator's skin, they may be asked or encouraged to leave.  Some parents have no choice and simply bail out.  The atmosphere can become real polluted.  It's so sad to see how these vulnerable kids get caught in the crossfire.

What do you know about the decline in Woodstock's enrollment?  Do you know what the numbers are and how much they're down?  Any idea why this is happening?  I have a feeling that all of the bad publicity about Hyde is having an effect, plus competition from some other schools that are much more effective and competent.

[Anonymous]

Don't know why Hyde's enrollment has declined.  The first year when enrollment was low at Woodstock, the school told the parents that it was their choice to lower the enrollment in order to be a better school. I am now told that enrollment has declined even more.  Don't know if this is at both campuses or not.  Would anyone know the answer to this question?

My guess would be that the Ed Consultants have heard what goes on at Hyde and is no longer sending some of their kids there. Also, if I were looking on the web to check out a school, I would be concerned reading these postings.

Don't forget Hyde is making a lot of money from the government for the Charter Schools.  They now have convinced NY to give them a shot. What a shame that these districts do not check up  on these schools or go to the web to see the controversy surrounding Hyde.  Possibly we should pass these thoughts along to the school boards?

[Anonymous]

On 2006-05-03 10:57:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Don't know why Hyde's enrollment has declined.  The first year when enrollment was low at Woodstock, the school told the parents that it was their choice to lower the enrollment in order to be a better school. I am now told that enrollment has declined even more.  Don't know if this is at both campuses or not.  Would anyone know the answer to this question?



My guess would be that the Ed Consultants have heard what goes on at Hyde and is no longer sending some of their kids there. Also, if I were looking on the web to check out a school, I would be concerned reading these postings.



Don't forget Hyde is making a lot of money from the government for the Charter Schools.  They now have convinced NY to give them a shot. What a shame that these districts do not check up  on these schools or go to the web to see the controversy surrounding Hyde.  Possibly we should pass these thoughts along to the school boards?"

I have no doubt that quite a few educational consultants will not refer families to Hyde.  I've heard that from families who are looking for schools.  Of course, there are some educational consultants who seem to like Hyde or just don't "get it" about what really happens there.  I'm pretty sure more and more educational consultants are getting the message, since there are many unhappy Hyde veterans.  That's an important counterbalance to the families that like Hyde.  Educational consultants absolutely need to know that there are lots of very unhappy Hyde customers as well as Hyde fans.  

I remember hearing Malcolm Gauld talk about how worried he was about all the competition from other boarding schools out there.  My understanding is that Hyde has been losing lots of kids who are being taken by schools that have loosened their admission criteria.  It's probably that plus all the lousy publicity that Hyde has been getting.

[Anonymous]

I don't understand what you mean by "Lousy Publicity"?

The only bad stuff I'm seeing is on this little website, and people take this with a grain of salt!

[Anonymous]

On 2006-05-04 03:29:00, Anonymous wrote:

"I don't understand what you mean by "Lousy Publicity"?



The only bad stuff I'm seeing is on this little website, and people take this with a grain of salt!"

I am not the person who wrote, "bad publicity" but I do know a couple of Ed Consultants who will not place kids at Hyde because of the controversy. Obviously there must be more talk going on amongst the consultants than we realize and that goes beyond this board.

[Anonymous]

On 2006-05-04 03:29:00, Anonymous wrote:

"I don't understand what you mean by "Lousy Publicity"?



The only bad stuff I'm seeing is on this little website, and people take this with a grain of salt!"

There's more bad publicity about Hyde than this website.  I've talked with about a dozen parents (maybe more, I haven't counted precisely) whose educational consultants won't place kids with Hyde and are looking for something else.  I've heard about at least 2 lawyers who have Hyde in their cross hairs.  I'm pretty sure NEASC has investigated Hyde and has insisted on major changes there (I don't know all the details, but this is pretty common knowledge).  There's also some very negative stuff about Hyde on other websites.

[Anonymous]

On 2006-05-04 07:15:00, Anonymous wrote:

"

On 2006-05-04 03:29:00, Anonymous wrote:


"I don't understand what you mean by "Lousy Publicity"?





The only bad stuff I'm seeing is on this little website, and people take this with a grain of salt!"

There's more bad publicity about Hyde than this website.  I've talked with about a dozen parents (maybe more, I haven't counted precisely) whose educational consultants won't place kids with Hyde and are looking for something else.  I've heard about at least 2 lawyers who have Hyde in their cross hairs.  I'm pretty sure NEASC has investigated Hyde and has insisted on major changes there (I don't know all the details, but this is pretty common knowledge).  There's also some very negative stuff about Hyde on other websites.  "

Yes, the NEASC has investigated Hyde.  They have reviewed them because of numerous complaints.  They are still accredited but it wouldn't surprise me if the NEASC is keeping a close eye on Hyde.

[Anonymous]

There's also some very negative stuff about Hyde on other websites.  "

Such as ?

Annie Nonamus