Author Topic: Aspen Ranch, Mt. Bachelor, etc.  (Read 11119 times)

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Offline Persistence

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« on: December 04, 2002, 01:29:00 PM »
From some info I have learned, I am astonished that Aspen-owned programs have escaped the bad rep CEDU and others have acquired.  Their parent Co. is in California (Aspen Education, Inc.) Aspen Achievement Academy is owned by a company described as Aspen Health on their web page, but they describe Aspen Ranch as a nearby "sister" program.  I queried in another post about SUWS, and have learned some very disturbing things about Mt. Bachelor, another Aspen program.  I also know they run the typical intra-company referral scam.  But what I get mostly is generalities like , they are not nearly as bad as CEDU or WWASP.  Not exactly high praise.  Does ANYONE have any specific negative info on any Aspen program? I am trying to help someone who was kidnapped off to one program and they are trying to convince the Mom that she needs to go to a long-term (Aspen-owned) place.  One thing I have learned is that once these companies smell cash and gullibility they really get their clutches on the parents and the pull is enormous.  I have watched this, followed by a period of desperation by the Mom to justify sending her daughter off to suffer AND justify the absurd cash outlay that probably is pissing away the poor kid's college fund.  My only chance to break the stranglehold is specific bad info on Aspen-owned or controlled programs even if it is not "as bad" as other programs.  I can't exactly have this Mom kidnapped and de-programmed.If not here, any suggestions as to WHERE I can go for info?  BTW, anyone know if there is a present connection to Aspen and Alldredge Academy or whatever it is called now?
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Offline Anonymous

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« Reply #1 on: December 04, 2002, 05:02:00 PM »
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Offline hawaiistacey

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« Reply #2 on: December 04, 2002, 10:30:00 PM »
My name is stacey lauprecht I attended Mount Bachelor Academy for 9 months but did not stay for the duration of the program. It has changed my life in many ways. I am 15 years old and have never experienced anything as horrible as this program. It is one big money manipulation scam. It took me nine months of begging my parents to take me home to actually get out of there. The kinds of things that go on behind closed doors there is incredible almost every kid that goes in there comes out 10 times worst and 10 times more fucked up. I still have nightmares about that place. The staff there are the worst they will manipulate your parents before your eyes and then throw everything in your face, they say there is no way you are leaving here without graduating, your parents are strong in their decision ,they know this is where you need to be. its completely terrifying. I was at SUWS for three weeks before mba and the scariest thing being at mba, is knowing that they have the power to send you back to a wilderness program ,which is what keeps most kids in check. you can get put on "bans" with everything, people,weekly phone calls home, certain foods, certain clothes, the list goes on forever. My case was very different from most I got out of there in a not very normal way. I was given a one week home visit in june like the other kids who had been there for 6 months or more, and when I got home was able to talk my parents into letting me stay which usually doesnt happen.I cant say this program has improved my life except for maybe the way i now think and that definetly wasnt worth the 55,000 my parents blew on this program.I dont reccomend this to anyone unless your trying to screw your kids up a little more.there has been cases of suicide at this program to get a parents view i reccomend th book Augusta Gone BY:Martha Todd Dudman, the book doesnt say, but the school talked about in the story is Mount Bachelor Academy.to get in touch with me, my email is [email protected]

[ This Message was edited by: hawaiistacey on 2002-12-04 19:58 ]
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Offline gagesteele

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« Reply #3 on: December 05, 2002, 11:37:00 AM »
Didn't Mt. Bachelor and the Aspen-named facilities start life as CEDU programs?  When were they picked up by Aspen Education?  Is that an umbrella actually _under_ CEDU?

Sara
Amity Founding Class, 1988



[ This Message was edited by: gagesteele on 2002-12-05 08:37 ]
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ara
Amity School Founding Class, 1988

Offline FaceKhan

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« Reply #4 on: December 05, 2002, 07:04:00 PM »
I think it might be. I did not realize SUWS was owned by Aspen. I had definitely heard bad things about Aspen owned programs. I think that CEDU and Aspen are closely connected or at least they once were. As to the question over whether Alldredge (now under a new name)is still connected to them I can't say for certain. L J Mitchell was an owner/operator involved both in SUWS and Alldredge. Officially he is banned from taking part in Alldredge under a deal with WV after pleading guilty to negligence in the suicide of a 14 year old at Alldredge. He knew the kid was suicidal and did not take appropriate measures to prevent his death.



It is not uncommon for these umbrella groups to distribute official ownership of each program on different people so that no one program being prosecuted or shut down can lead to lawsuits or criminal indictments against the entire organization. In this way these programs clearly violate the RICO act, a law commonly used against large organized crime groups.  



However it is also not uncommon for these cult-like groups of programs to split. It happened when parts of STRAIGHT splintered off to form KIDS and it may have happened between LJ Mitchell and the rest of the SUWS/Aspen group.

Since many of these groups are very cult like, ideology becomes very central. When the leadership disagree on a matter of dogma it can lead to a schism, think Protestantism, Catholocism, and Orthodox. The 3 are not very different and their disagreements are mostly abstract. An even better example is the rift that developed between the USSR, China, Vietnam, North Korea, and Camobodia. All communist nations supposedly following the same ideology but small differences of opinion between the leadership led to wars and hostility between them. And of course just like these programs, the ones who are suffering are an afterthought and the disagreements are mostly on how best to make the kids suffer.

[ This Message was edited by: FaceKhan on 2002-12-07 19:48 ]
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Offline Boarding School Truth

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« Reply #5 on: December 06, 2002, 02:32:00 AM »

You can read a story on a mothers experience with MT. Bachelor Academy at our site by clicking the link below (it will open a new window so you can resume action on this message board when you are done reading).

My son is being kept in a boarding school in Oregon against my wishes

Thanks,

Boarding School Truth

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Offline twistdwile

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« Reply #6 on: February 07, 2003, 05:35:00 AM »
in that story about the son being held at MBA against the mother's wish is horse crap.  

there is a reason why you do not have custody of your son!!!!
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Offline Anonymous

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« Reply #7 on: February 14, 2003, 02:52:00 PM »
actually no, the story is not horse crap. I went to mount bachelor academy with the womens son, and was actually friends with him, so if you dont know what your talking about, keep it to yourself.
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Offline FaceKhan

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« Reply #8 on: February 16, 2003, 03:32:00 PM »
What twist just does not understand is that many if not most of the long term programs particularly Teen Help, CEDU, and most of the "christian" or "mormon" ones in Utah, Missouri, Florida, South Carolina, and much of the South is that they are cults. They are not schools. They are not rehab centers. They are not psychiatric hospitals. They are not even prisons. They are cults. Cults do not care whether a parent has the legal right to send their kid to the program or not, they only want money and members. If custody becomes an issue they will refer parents to lawyers affiliated with the program to battle the other spouse for custody. This is a fact, they have been caught doing this. It is a conflict of interest for the program to have its lawyers fight for custody of children they are imprisoning. And since they don't make this known it is probably fraud in some states. They don't care.  


When a parent does secure a court order to get their kid out of the program, the cults fight it until they can break the kid.


[ This Message was edited by: FaceKhan on 2003-02-16 12:34 ]
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Offline Anonymous

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« Reply #9 on: February 18, 2003, 03:41:00 AM »
i know the mothers whose story was posted about Mount Bachlore and the parents was divorced and had joint custidy and the father who was a millionair lawyer manipulated the courts so her son could be sent there originally. $20,000.00 later she got her son beck and not after some politial intervention by a few state senitors threaning the crooked judge with review. She has her son now and is doing ok. Know the whole facts twisted before you judge.
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Offline Leah

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« Reply #10 on: February 20, 2003, 12:06:00 AM »
"If custody becomes an issue they will refer parents to lawyers affiliated with the program to battle the other spouse for custody. This is a fact, they have been caught doing this."
Face, could you please furnish your refernce for this accusation.
Thanks.
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Offline Anonymous

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« Reply #11 on: January 01, 2005, 06:28:00 PM »
I am the mother of the boy forced to be at Mt. Bachelor and every word of that story is true.  There is even more to it than is written and this boy was used to prevent the father from being exposed as a child abuser.  He is a very wealthy lawyer.  It is finally over, but the aftermath of the abuse to the child will never end.  He is not at peace.
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Offline Anonymous

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« Reply #12 on: January 01, 2005, 06:30:00 PM »
You obviously have some connection to these horrible places, some financial interest maybe? Of course a very wealthy parent who wants to lock up a kid will manipulate the court system and get a temporary order.  Just about any one can get a temporary order, then it takes more than one year to have a full blown hearing.  By that time, the child is already damaged.
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Offline Antigen

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« Reply #13 on: January 01, 2005, 06:52:00 PM »
Hey, welcome back. I missed this thread early last year, sorry.

Straight did the same thing. When a kid wouldn't sign in, they'd call a program parent who was a lawyer to write up the papers for a Baker Act. @ 15, I knew this probably wasn't exactly legal, but I knew they could and would do it anyway.

When I ran a couple of months before my 18th birthday, they actually had me extradited from Georgia to Florida for the "crime" of running away. (In Georgia, 17 is the default age of emancipation for most purposes)

Now, not only does this show how powerful and currupt some of these people are, but talk about stupid! I don't even know what it cost in legal time, transportation, a few weeks in Georgia's detention system and housing at a public group home in Florida for about a month. But for what? The game was up. Even if they had gotten me back in Group, I was still going to turn 18 and bolt in a few more weeks. What did they hope for?

Hands that help are far better then lips that pray.
--Robert G. Ingersoll, American politician and lecturer



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Offline Antigen

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« Reply #14 on: January 01, 2005, 07:39:00 PM »
Do you have any info on what happened to Boarding School Truth?

The overwhelming majority of people have more than the average (mean) number of legs.  
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"Don\'t let the past remind us of what we are not now."
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