FYI - A PARENTS RIGHTS ORGANIZATION IN MA NOT ISSAC HELPED TO PUT AN END TO DESISTO - ISSAC HAS JUMPED ON THE COAT TAILS AND IS TRYING TO TAKE CREDIT, IT SHOWS NO WHERE ON ANY OF THE STATE AGENCY DOCUMENTS ISSAC NAME ONLY THE MA PARENT'S RIGHTS ORGANIZATION THIS TRUTH ALSO NEEDED TO BE TOLD.
DeSisto School sale hits obstacle
By Derek Gentile
Berkshire Eagle Staff
Thursday, March 31, 2005 - STOCKBRIDGE -- A federal judge in Bridgeport, Conn., has attached a $500,000 lien on the former DeSisto School property, creating another potential roadblock for the sale of the Route 183 complex.
The lien is in connection with a lawsuit filed last October by a former student at DeSisto and her mother, who are accusing the former school for troubled students of improper supervision.
The former student is identified in the lawsuit as "D.M.," while the mother is identified as "A.B." Both are residents of New Haven, Conn.
According to the lawsuit, on the night of Jan. 22, 2004, D.M. reportedly slashed her arms with razor blades and then ingested two blades. The student was eventually transferred to the Albany (N.Y.) Medical Center on Jan. 23, where she remained until the razor blades passed through her system.
Treated 41 times
The complaint alleges that the student had been treated at both Fairview and Berkshire Medical Center a total of 41 times since her admission to DeSisto in February 2002, and received improper care from DeSisto staffers.
A real estate lien is not uncommon in such a case, as the plaintiff usually seeks some degree of financial relief. According to Eagle files, this is not the first time the Route 183 property has been encumbered by such a lien. During the 25 years it was open, the school was the target of more than 30 lawsuits from disgruntled parents alleging abuse and seeking redress.
This latest development, though, may create another barrier for the school campus' potential sale to the Grove School of Madison, Conn., another therapeutic residential facility.
The Grove School won a special permit last September to reopen as a therapeutic school. But the purchase of the campus is on hold pending an extensive environmental review of the school grounds.
Potential contamination
In particular, state and local officials are concerned that oil migration from a main tank located behind the main mansion has been far more extensive than previously believed. Such migration could mean potential ground water contamination.
"At this point, we're still evaluating the risk of closing [the sale] before the environmental assessment is completed," said attorney Philip F. Heller of Lenox, who is representing the Grove School. "That's our focus."
Heller said he was unaware of the recently imposed $500,000 lien in federal court.
"I have not been made aware of [the lien]," said Heller. "But the plot thickens."
DeSisto's attorney, John Gobel of Pittsfield, could not be reached for comment about the situation.
The estimated sale price for the property is $5 million.
Stockbridge Selectmen Chairman J. Cristopher Irsfeld said yesterday that members of his board are still hopeful that the sale can be completed.
"It's the best fit for the property," he said.
The DeSisto School closed in June 2004. The closing followed an extended struggle with the state Office of Child Care Services over conditions at the school and controversies over students' self-inflicted injuries.
DeSisto officials said they had to close the school because of a dip in enrollment caused by the state's decision to freeze admissions to the school.
Students who came to DeSisto in recent years paid between $66,000 and $78,000 in tuition. They were described as bright, emotionally troubled teenagers, many of whom took drugs, had eating disorders and acted out inner troubles.
Less than a year after closing their campus on Route 183, officials associated with the former DeSisto School established a new therapeutic academy for troubled children in Sarasota, Fla.
