The Family Foundation School in Hancock, New York

[Troll Control]

On 2005-11-11 10:37:00, Anonymous wrote:

"IVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS KIND OF CHATROOM!

Hi, i am a recent graduate from the FFS, ive stayed sober, however every single professional in thh field of chem dependancy and/or psychology has been shocked when ive told them the abuse that occured to me there, im seeking a lot of professional help to discusss what has occured to my mind, body and soul, the FFS is directly ephiliated with the cult called East Ridge, i saw cult because legally it is one. I need help to try to take legal action against the school. Please email me, i would love to talk by phone to anyone interested in helping me!-Kate powerpuff212@hotmail.com"

http://www.isaccorp.org/
Go to this website for assistance.  If anything done to you was criminal or may be criminal, contact your local law enforcement agency or the NYS Attorney General.

[Anonymous]

SEE WAYWARD WEB FORA
THE TROUBLED TEEN INDUSTRY

FFS PARENT WROTE----

[Anonymous1]

I graduated from FFS in june 05, i was there for 3 and a half years. Im not gonna lie i did have some good experciences like with chorus and show choir,and making good friends, but thats about it. I just dont agree with the way they handle things. If u dont finish ur meal they will keep giving it to til u eat and u wont get a new meal til u do. U cant go to the bathroom alone, u cant flirt guys and girls cant even touch like not even a high five. the punishments r not always reasonable such as work sanction (where u get taken out of school for however long they want u 2 and u just do physical labor all day, like carrying buckets of rocks up and down hills), the corner ( i was probably in there for 2 1/2 years total out of my 3 1/2), they force u to attend anything that has to do with your religion even if u dont want (other religions as well),most of the teachers dont even have a teaching degree (most of the staff have been in jail and/or psych wards)...u want to know more just ask

[Anonymous]

Uck. I was at The Family School. August 2001-May 2002. That place was horrid and demeaning. I was in Family 6... I lost about 60 pounds in a very short period... like 3 months, from Tuna and Work Sanction. I got bruises all over probably from the lack of prpper nutrition, which, they said I brought upon myself. I can't even remember my last two weeks there. I know I got kicked out, but I can't even remember what I did to get kicked out. Thank goodness I did. I remember people discriminating against my religous interests. I was interested in wicca and got a straight out no, that I couldn't do that. Then, the religion I grew up with, Unitarian Universalism, I was flat out told it was wrong. They fucking told me to name a higher power, I named it "emma" after my great grandmother... nope, I couldn't do that either. Not being able to talk to my family for like, 6 weeks? My parents regret sending me there. I get nightmares from that place all the time. For them its like... "Woohoo! Lets demean kids who already have emotional problems, and shove the twelve step program down their throats." What kind of school rewards people for ratting on other? Because, that what is was when they brought you up in front of the table. Ratting. If they were in prison, rats would get the crap beaten out of them. But here, they get rewarded with being able to shadow and buddy other students. Yeah, lets have other kids follow each other around to make sure they don't do anything. It's sadism and brainwashing. My boyfriend was in prison for bank fraud... and I've told him about this place... he said FFS was worse then prison. So yeah, that place is screwed up, and I hope it gets closed.

[Anonymous]

I don't know how old this e-mail is but I was at thte Family from 1994-1996. Let me know I you want answes.
Magnolia7982@Yahoo.com

[efischer]

My last post was about 2 years ago.  I had just been kicked out by the FFS and dropped off in downtown binghamton.  I was a scared child working from pay check to pay check trying to find myself as a person.  I became extremely well connected and eventually found myself with the resources to get into SUNY Binghamton, a division one university without ever having completed my high school education.  I am now only a couple of days away from finishing the first semester of my sophomore year.  Part of finding myself was finding out what the traumatic experience that I had just had meant to me in life.  The FFS taught me about concepts such as honesty, openmindedness and willingness on a level that I hadn't yet seen.  I became a very strong willed person and I devote a very large part of my life to the very tenets that I was kicked out of that institution for allegedly not following.  I am not an Ivy league graduate nor am I anything more than a struggling college student who has a couple of more life experiences under his belt than most.  I do however know this: regardless of experiences within the school, individuals who even exert the effort to live their lives according to the school's tenets will be successful and happy.  I am living proof.  The school is messed up, it messes people's heads up, almost every product I have seen of that school has serious issues that were fostered merely by being there, however the tenets do work and the sch ool attempts to take any steps possible to force the individuals within its walls to live by them.  One can judge this in two ways: the school is in fact a hypocritical institution that WILL fuck your child up probably to a different level than they were before they went in.  The staff are, generally speaking, not very good people and they don't live by their own prescribed tenets.  The success rate is mediocre.  On the other side, find me an alternative when a child is simply unwilling to accept rules and is behaving in a way which is usually both criminal and addictive?  To all of you who want to sue that place, find me an alternative to the 12 steps and judeo christian ideals (not the reality but the ideals), an easier softer way of sorts.  I devote a portion of my time to helping fellow strays from the FFS.  Anyone who reads this should feel free to contact me, I am a very open person who will talk to just about anyone about just about anything.  email me at your own risk!
E

[Anonymous]

Here's a FFS story

http://cafety.org/index.php?option=com_ ... d=55&id=36

Anyone who wants to post thier story, opinion, etc on their experience at FFS or any school they had direct experience with can do that on this site on their home page.  First you have to register though.

[Anonymous]

I was at the family for 2 years (1995-1997) although it may have helped it defintely twisted my head up really bad.  witnessed plenty of abuse and questionable situations at best....feel free to contact me at djjone5ny@hotmail.com  with any questions or concerns.

[Anonymous]

On 2004-10-12 11:00:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Hello;



You must be addressing me.  Well, as for your claim that you went to an IVY (capitalized) league school, let's saunter over to the Family school website itself and rummage over the list of colleges that its students were accepted to:

http://www.thefamilyschool.com/index.ph ... =Academics



I see no mention of any Ivy League Universities on this page, just some low level community colleges and demoninational schools.  Purdue and NYU are pretty much the standouts on this list. Therefore you are a liar and a fraud; wouldn't it make sense that the "Family" would triumphantly place this Ivy League acceptance prominently on this page?  And how am I defensive; I don't recall getting attacked in any earlier posts.  Please don't psychoanalyze me; be honest with the school you actually attended and maybe we can build bridges from there.  I've heard enough stories about the 5 hour study halls, forced religion, carrying buckets of rocks, etc. to not worry about making snap judgements.  During any time at the school, were you allowed to have contact with the outside world, except for mummy and daddy who footed the bills?  Any school that engages in these unconstitutional restrictions must be shut down.  There's no need for any of that, and simply perpetuates the imbalance of power that these poor kids are faced with over on that barren hill in Hancock.  Try better next time, Ivy Leaguer."

As much as I hate The Family School, the Ivy League claim may be somewhat accurate.  After leaving the school I did manage to get into Vassar College (close to Ivy League)  Do I think that was thanks to the school?  They may have had some impact.  Do I think it was an even trade for the mental and psychological and (for others) physical abuse....no way. contact me at djjone5ny@hotmail.com for more info if you feel you need it.

[Anonymous]

Well... I know this response is a little in delay, but to the person who graduated from the school in 1997.... I was there from 2000-2001... they are stricter now, and quite unsympathetic. My mother took me out of there... she didn't think I needed to be there from the beginning. My dad won't talk to me because I left. It was a traumatic experience, and I had nightmares after I left. To this day I still have problems as a result. I will not say it was the worst thing that happened to me, because I did learn important things from the school... but I definitely don't think I needed to suffer as much as I did to learn what I did. I could have learned it in a healthier environment. I swore, when I left, then when I had enough money, I would shut down the school so that no one else would have to suffer.