Fornits
Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => The Troubled Teen Industry => Topic started by: Anonymous on April 15, 2005, 07:13:00 PM
-
Does anyone have a copy of this article that is in the Watertown Daily times?
-
Ivy Ridge accreditation suspended in state probe
by Chris Garifo, Times Albany Correspondent
First published: Friday, April 15, 2005
ALBANY - The Academy at Ivy Ridge's accreditation has been suspended in the wake of a state attorney general's office inquiry into the business practices of the institution that offers behavior modification for teenagers.
"We sent them a cease and desist letter," said David G. Steadman, executive director of the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools. "It means they're not supposed to say they're accredited until their legal issues are solved."
Jason G. Finlinson, director of Ivy Ridge, said its accreditation was "under review" but he refused to go into detail.
"I'm not at liberty to discuss it," he said. "Just because."
He referred all calls to James Wall, chief executive officer of the Denver-based public relations firm Freeman, Wall & Aiello. However, Mr. Wall was out of town until Monday and unavailable.
The Boise, Idaho-based Northwest Association conferred candidate membership on Ivy Ridge in 2002, the first year the boarding school on Route 37 just outside of Ogdensburg was open. Candidate members must complete a self-evaluation within three years of their application date that shows they are in "substantial compliance" with the association's standards.
Candidate membership allows an institution to claim it is accredited but does not allow it to vote on association bylaws, standards or membership dues. Accreditation indicates that an institution provides a level of education that meets standards set by the accrediting agency.
Ivy Ridge had maintained its accreditation up until last week as a result of visits to the campus by two teams from the association, Mr. Steadman said.
Another visit to the campus was planned this summer, but that also has been put on hold, said Leonard D. Paul, Northwest Association's associate director.
"Everything is on hold pending a response to our request that they show licenses and/or certificates, whatever is required in the state of New York to operate," he said.
The association sent Ivy Ridge the cease and desist letter after a telephone inquiry from the Watertown regional office of the state attorney general's office. That inquiry led the association to believe the school does not have the state licenses required by the organization, Mr. Steadman said.
A spokesman for Attorney General Eliot L. Spitzer declined comment Thursday.
State agencies, including the attorney general's office and the Office of Children and Family Services, in February began looking into Ivy Ridge, including allegations of physical abuse of students.
The attorney general's regional office in Watertown served a subpoena on Ivy Ridge seeking records to determine whether it had been advertising itself as a diploma-granting institution, which officials believe it was not accredited to do. Ivy Ridge officials responded to the subpoena but not to the satisfaction of state lawyers in Watertown, who asked for more documents, according to a source.
At the time the inquiry started, Ivy Ridge's Web site said it offered a general diploma and a college prep diploma, which included a foreign language requirement.
Since then, however, information about its accreditation and any diplomas has been removed from the site, http://www.academyivyridge.com (http://www.academyivyridge.com).
According to the 2005 edition of the Northwest Association's policies and procedures manual, new member schools must "be approved, accredited, licensed, or recognized by the legally constituted educational agency in its state, country, or federal government agency."
The association accredited Ivy Ridge because of its affiliation with the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools, Mr. Steadman said. WWASPS is based in Utah, which is among the states covered by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools.
"They belong to WWASPS," Mr. Steadman said. "It was WWASPS that asked us to accredit them; we accredit all of their schools."
However, WWASPS President Kenneth E. Kay said Ivy Ridge does not belong to his organization; it just receives programming and support.
"We don't own or direct what they do," he said when the state inquiries were first launched.
However, Ivy Ridge and WWASPS have more than a business relationship.
Utah businessman Robert B. Lichfield, one of three members of the WWASPS board, bought the 237 acres of the former Mater Dei College campus where Ivy Ridge sits. He leased the property to WWASPS. He also is Mr. Finlinson's brother-in-law.
If WWASPS no longer wants to claim ownership of Ivy Ridge, "then we won't accredit them," Mr. Steadman said.
Despite the action taken against Ivy Ridge, Northwest Association does not plan to reassess the accreditation of WWASPS's other facilities, in Montana, South Carolina, Utah and Jamaica. WWASPS-associated schools in Mexico, Costa Rica and the Czech Republic reportedly were closed by their respective governments because of allegations of physical abuse, a claim Mr. Kay denies.
"We have no reason to look at other accreditation," Mr. Steadman said. "We had no reason to look at Ivy Ridge; we just have an attorney from New York asking everybody under the sun about its history."
Northwest Association also will not take into consideration any of the abuse allegations being investigated by the state, Mr. Steadman said.
-
It's are this address, but you'll have to pay to read it.
http://wdt.net/editorial/20050415/442087.asp (http://wdt.net/editorial/20050415/442087.asp)
-
The association sent Ivy Ridge the cease and desist letter after a telephone inquiry from the Watertown regional office of the state attorney general's office. That inquiry led the association to believe the school does not have the state licenses required by the organization, Mr. Steadman said.
Is this what it takes to get Northwest to follow its own rules? The Mexican Ministry of Education had never even heard of Casa by the Sea but that didn't stop Northwest accrediting them.
However, WWASPS President Kenneth E. Kay said Ivy Ridge does not belong to his organization; it just receives programming and support.
Another WWASP facility claiming to have nothing to do with WWASPS. I suppose it is just a coincidence that they have the same PR man all those miles away in Colorado and, as with Bell Academy, AIR's being listed on the WWASPS website is a "mistake". :roll:
At this rate no one will admit to being a member of WWASPS. Does that mean Ken Kay will be out of a job?
-
What happens to the kids that have graduated from Ivy Ridge? Are thier diplomas Valid? They were accredited at the time.
-
Our child's experience was that Casa by the Sea said it could offer a student learning at her own pace...not to be held back by others in the classroom with less IQ, etc. Reality: she was given packets by the non-English-speaking staff, sat at a table for 8 hours a day without being allowed to speak (no questions, because there were no teachers, not to mention no English speakers), allowed no additional informational material like *books*, and told to go it alone.
She picked geometry, failed it (couldn't get all the bubbles filled in correctly) several times, and finally gave up. WWASPS says they have a "B" average from their students. That is because you don't get "credit" for the class until you figure out how to fill in the bubbles, even if you "take" the class 20 times. BTW, success usually comes from finding out the sequence of correct answers from another kid, not from figuring out the material.
She then looked over the other "classes" available, and thought biology looked interesting. Well, duh, a few days in, and she discovered that one could not learn diddley-squat about biology from a packet, w/o labs, teachers, or other students' input. So....back to pick another subject.
This meant scrounging through a box of packets. She finally settled on Careers and something like Family Living (wow, WWASPS could be a real authority on THAT, don't you think?)...easy, non-sensical crap. The "library" was a few bookshelves, filled with what she called "Chicken Soup for the Everything", and a healthy dose of evangelical and/or Mormon literature. She spent most of her year at Casa reading very very old National Geographics that some parent had "donated", which surprisingly gave her more education than she got during all those hours of "school".
Upon entering our local high school when she came to live with us post-WWASPS, the school set up a meeting with counselors, psychologists, principals, and us...15 people total. The school courageously gave her "credit" for a whole lot of education she didn't get, and put her into her second-semester Sophomore year as dictated by her age. She floundered for several months, and now as a Junior going to a high-school-in-college program next year, is figuring out how to learn and looking toward the future with confidence.
Her credits at WWASPS will probably not be an issue as she moves from our community college into the California State college system. Can't say that would be the case in a private college however. I would think it to be a SERIOUS negative in the admission process. I still remember a Wwaspie parent on this forum talking about how 1000's of "graduates" were accepted to Harvard and YAIL...hooo boooy. Deficient IQ of a parent? or deficient IQ of the staffer-posing-as-a-parent?
Northwest Accreditation is "owned" by WWASPS (ISAC documents). It is a tiny little group of self-regulators based in Boise (surprise!), and 100 bucks gets you membership and pretty-much-automatic accreditation. In short order after formation, this entity had something like 5 out of 12 board members who were readily-identifiable members (owners, directors) of WWASPS schools running the asylum. Maybe I should start an accreditation organization, charge $100, and see how many parents believe that I can determine what is a good school for my pre-college teenager.
-
WWASP never indicates that a program is associated with them. This prevents WWASP from being sued and Lichfield's money. Each school is "independent." That's hogwash - but he's managed to pull it off legally.
Understand that legal and illegal are political, and often arbitrary,
categorizations; use and abuse are medical, or clinical, distinctions.
--Abbie Hoffman
-
I worked at AIR and their education program is nothing like CASA. There was at least one teacher to teach each of the core subjects. The students also attended "real" science labs. All of the teachers were NYS certified. They did teach the students on an individual basis to meet their individual needs. Each day the teachers would hold a one hour lab that all students were able to attend. They would choose an area where many students were having difficulties and have a question/answer forum. The library at AIR does not consist of a few books. There are shelves packed with books. The students mainly read books from the NYS reading list, but there were also books that were self-help. We def. had every Chicken Soup book known to man. The type of education program at AIR allowed many students to catch back up to where they were supposed to be in school and many were able to get ahead. Some kids did fall behind b/c this type of learning did not meet their learning style. They were at much more of an advantage than CASA. I have spoken to many students who went to CASA about their education program. They had a hard time at AIR b/c the education requirements were much more strict. So, not all the programs treat the students education the same.
-
What was your job at AIR? How much contact did you have with the students? And what are your qualifications and educational backround?
-
I find this particularly disturbing. Are you trying to tell me that after two and a half years(year round)of me taking high school classes, teaching myself, and earning a diploma, that somehow it is no longer valid? That is BULL SHIT. I know that I did the same, if not more intense work at AIR than my peers who graduated in my home town. And I also know that I was far more prepared going into college than a large majority of the people I am going to school with, most of my high school peers did not make it past first semester. Sorry, but I have to go with AIR on this one. My education was valid, and it was tough. Maybe Casa wasn't so great, but you had to work to get your diploma at AIR.
-
I was a teacher at AIR so I had lots of contact with the students. I was able to talk to a lot of them and many students I still speak to. I have a bachelors and a masters degrees. This is a requirement of New York State to keep your teaching degree.
-
you were a teacher? what happened? they have only been open about 3 yrs. most teachers stay alittle longer than that
-
I know a mom who put her son on AIR, thinking it would be different than it turned out to be.
She got the usual you cant talk to your kid shit for a while, and each week when she called they had more bullshit they punished and demerited him for.
The third week, upon finding out he was being punished for someone catching him masturbating (intentionally looking for something, and violating his privacy, mind you) she pulled him out.
When she picked him up, he was bruised and half drugged up, and she did get the cops to take pics of it.Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived.
--Isaac Asimov, Russian-born American author
[ This Message was edited by: Nihilanthic on 2005-04-25 01:19 ][ This Message was edited by: Nihilanthic on 2005-04-25 01:19 ]
-
I attended AIR, and can say from my personal experience that the academic structure is not teacher oriented. School consists of sitting at a computer while upperlevels and staff shout orders at you and give out "consequences." School is the lowest priority @ Air.. I dont care what anyone says..
Chris G
-
In reply to "most teachers stay longer," you can't know very much about the school. Most teachers are lucky if they make it through a year. At the school we were one of the few people who had any education and the majority of us had Master's degrees. It was a little discouraging to see people who went from working at convenience stores to being directors (making more money). I left to work at a public school. Most of us just stay there until we can make our way into a school system. It gives us experience and we get to meet a lot of great kids. They are the only thing I miss about working at the school. Luckily the upper levels work in the community a lot so I still get to see them.
-
I know enough about ivy ridge that I sure don't want my kid to be there. If you had a kid, would you as a past teacher and knowing what you know, put your kid in there?
-
Teacher, how much did you know about the rest of the program? What did you think of it? How much did the Program interfere in the classroom?
May your days be joyously challenging and your words artfully true.
--Ginger Warbis
_________________
Ginger Warbis ~ Antigen
Drug war POW
Seed `71 - `80
Straight, Sarasota
10/80 - 10/82
Anonymity Anonymous
return undef() if /coercion/i;
-
Come to think of it, I remember a lot of the teachers being annoyed with how the students were being treated. This was because it was annoying to them while they were in their offices. They'd often slam the doors to make a point to the dorm parents.
chris g
-
Give me an example, please. What sort of things would tick off the teachers? How much did they really know?
It has ever been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues
--Abraham Lincoln
-
As a teacher and just a person in general, no I would not put my child there. I knew a lot about the program. I understand the different levels and the consequences. I gave consequences accordingly. I know many people that just gave consequences just to abuse their power. I never did that. I was well liked and respected by the students. Sure I had a few that disliked me, but that happens anywhere. I never saw any kind of abuse toward the children, but I did hear about things that happened. Whether they are true or not are beyond me. I worked mainly with the girls and I heard the boys side was much different. I think the program is great for some kids. Its kids them away from bad friends and bad parenting. I can only hope the children I shall have some day don't need to be put in a place like that. I think if more parents did their job the kids wouldn't end up there. I just didn't like the way the day to day living was and the lack of affection students were given. That is all many of them needed.
Chris - did you feel teachers didn't like listening to dorm parents treat you disprespectfully or that the teachers didn't feel like dealing with you?
Any other questions I would be happy to answer.
-
Why dont you answer questions about the damn brutality and abuse in there?
Why did that boy turn up bruised and drugged?
Why did someone have an eye on him privatey and publically humiliate him for masturbating? If we choose to violate the rights of the innocent in order to discover and act against the guilty, then we have transformed our country into a police state and abandoned one of the fundamental tenants of a free society. In order to win the war on drugs, we must not sacrifice the life of the Constitution in the battle.
--US District Judge H. Lee Sarokin
-
Well at the time I felt like the teachers didn't care much about helping the students. Looking back, I see it from a different angle. I think we were intentionally kept away from teachers and therapists.
Want an example? I remember around June or July starring down the hallway while in worksheets. I saw a new kid being escorted through the doors. He told Shelby (admissions lady) that he needed to call his parents. He later made his way down to where the disabled pay phone was. While on his way he was tackled by 3 staff members and backup staff came. They carried him all the way to the other side of the building and brought him to intervention. I had been sent to intervention later that day and staff were still on top of him. The next day he was very swolen and bruised. While this was taking places teachers and administrators closed their doors.
-
I love how they call it 'intervention' to attack and beat a kid... :roll:
No matter how great your triumphs or how tragic your defeats---approximately one billion Chinese couldn't care less.
--Lazlo's Chinese Relativity Axiom:
-
Yes, yes! We can't have kids endangering themselves by trying to call their parents!
Truth does not have to be accepted on faith. Scientists do not hold hands every Sunday, singing, "Yes gravity is real! I will have faith! I will be strong! Amen.
--Dan Barker, former evangelist and author
-
Now, Nih honey, you know that gotta make it sound good and righteous for the public. I am thoroughly convince that those who carry out these 'interventions' are sadists, and they do, along with their pedofile bros and sisters, flock to where disenfranchised kids can be found.
-
How many parents do you think read about ivy ridge loosing there ability to give a diploma and give a shit. I can bet that there haven't been any kids taken out of that place. The parents could care less. All they want to do is dump there kids. Hey ivy ridge, you don't have to be accrediated, just get the parents of the kids who are over 16 to sign them out of school. Then you can pull your bullshit and nobody would care. You would just loose the money from the kids that are under 16. A small price to pay to be able to do with the kids whatever you want. I can't believe you ASSHOLES haven't thought of this.
-
I do and I am, just trying to figure a way out of the 90 day required notice. If it doesn't come to me quickly, it won't matter. He is out of there.
-
So now WWASP requires a 90 day notice before they let a parent take a child out of one of their gulags?
You are the parent. No one can force you to keep your child anywhere (besides a judge, of course). Get over there and demand to see your child immediately.
-
"90 day notice". Thats fraudulent. Also, thats basically keeping them illegally. Kidnapping, I presume?
Get a lawyer, get a cop, get a gun, and get your ass over there. NOW. They CANT stop you and if they do they just opened themselves up to a ton of lawsuits. It sucks when decent, hardworking people get screwed over like that. Because that means pricks like us don?t stand a chance.
Jim S. watching the devastation of the recent tsunami on the television at JR?s
-
On 2005-05-07 15:19:00, Anonymous wrote:
"
I do and I am, just trying to figure a way out of the 90 day required notice. If it doesn't come to me quickly, it won't matter. He is out of there."
*If* the 90 days has any force in a court of law, it's that you have to *pay* them for 90 days***---not that you have to leave your kid with them. If you get there and they give you and shit about producing your kid for you to leave together, take out your cell phone and tell them you're about to call 911 and would they like to give the officer an opening to lay charges--because you'd be happy to facilitate that?
Great phrase: "My experience of the legal system, child welfare, and the police wherever you guys set up is, in my opinion, that they'd just love an excuse to toast your ass. Would you like an opportunity to further develop your experience of them?"
*** I am not a lawyer, but if I were you, I'd strongly consider not paying them after you pick up your child until you've consulted an attorney. If you pay, it'll be like pulling teeth to get any of it back if it turns out you didn't have to pay. If they try to sue you for it, you have the oppporunity to present in court any ways in which they may have materially misreprepresented their services to you. If they threaten your credit rating, you should know (if I remember right) you have the right to place a one page explanation of any item on your credit report in your file. If they make a report, if it were me and I felt they'd materially misrepresented their services, I'd use that one page to briefly explain that, in your opinion, what you signed up for was nowhere near what you got. You can't be the first consumer in the history of the world to be very dissatisfied with a product or service.
My guess is that *if* they've materially misrepresented their services, then if you don't pay them for the 90 days they might write you threatening letters but won't bother to take it to court. Of course, they *might*, so if misrepresentation was involved, you will want to keep good records just like you would on a dispute over a used car or a workplace harrassment situation. I am not a lawyer, this is not specific legal advice, yada yada yada.
TimocleaVain are the thousand creeds that move men's hearts, unutterably vain, worthless as wither'd weeds.
--Emily Bronte
-
Actually, losing their accreditation might be enough to convince a court that you shouldn't be held to the 90 day notice requirement. I'm not a lawyer, but it's entirely possible your lawyer could get you out of all or part of that 90 days.
For that matter, the "settlement value" of them suing you for 90 days tuition is likely (see your lawyer) to be less than the full 90 days tuition.
After getting my child, I wouldn't pay a red cent (even of back tuition if you're behind in payments) until I'd consulted an attorney, laid out the entire situation, and found out if I really had to pay and how much.
You can either get a referral from your local bar association to an attorney, or here is a site for special education attorneys--I have no affiliation with any of these people.
http://www.edlaw.net/ (http://www.edlaw.net/)
I don't know if a special ed attorney is what you need, *but* they may have some of the specialized knowledge of knowing the ins and outs of facilities. Or talk to your local bar association and tell them it's a dispute with a facility about the bill and their services and whether they misrepresented them. Maybe they can give you a good referral to an attorney who can handle that kind of thing as a general consumer business dispute.
TimocleaWhat a distressing contrast there is between the radiant intelligence of the child and the feeble mentality of the average adult.
-- Sigmund Freud
-
The 90 day notice is a very bad joke.The program uses that to keep parents from bringing their kids home. A good contract attorney would point out the contracts are non enforcable because they are entered into under false pretenses.They are falsely represented to patrents.
I could provide many parents to substantiate that fact.If you want your kid home,You are the parent, bring the child home.
Demand the program to reimburse all of your money for having lied to you. If that is how you feel.
IMO from my personal experience.
-
Plus when the program told me I owe them for not providing them a notice.I pointed out they still have a month worth left.I had paid ahead of time.
THEY reimbursed me.
The program is full of shit. They lie.
-
Wow, thank you all for your support. The other parents just don't seem to get it. I mean they really don't get it. To clarify, I do have the right to get him anytime day or night. I am going prepared with phone numbers just in case my son wants to officially file a complaint. The 90 days is just the notice required because I enrolled him for 12 months. The full amt of the loan was paid to an affilate agency of the school and is dispersed each month in advance. The challenge will be to get them to stop releasing the funds to the school. As someone said, I'm afraid if released to the school, I will never see the money again. We are talking alot of wasted money here. Regardless, he is coming home.
-
Just one more thing, so some of you have already gotten out of the 90 day notice?
-
Got Him! As if you were wondering, tell anyone you can to get their kids out. Our dog gets better treatment.