New York boarding school ordered to refund $1 million
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SALT LAKE CITY -- An upstate New York troubled-teens boarding school affiliated with southern Utah's World Wide Association of Speciality Schools has been ordered to refund more than $1 million to parents and stop misrepresenting itself.
The order follows an 18-month investigation by the New York attorney general's office that concluded that the Academy at Ivy Ridge
was "grossly misrepresenting its academic credentials."
The school five miles west of Ogdensburg had no authority to issue high school diplomas, yet since its opening in 2001, it awarded diplomas to 113 students, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said.
"The Academy at Ivy Ridge marketed itself to parents who were seeking a solution to their teens' behavior problems and who were willing to pay top dollar for the school's programs," Spitzer said in a statement. "What these parents did not know was that Ivy Ridge's educational programs had not been authorized or approved by the state Education Department."
Investigators said the school falsely claimed to be accredited by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools.
Ivy Ridge will be required to issue a 15 percent refund of tuition to each of its 113 graduates. Similar refunds will be offered to about 100 current and former students. Tuition at the school is about $50,000 per year.
Ken Kay, president of WWASPS, told the Deseret Morning News that the agreement between New York state and Ivy Ridge has no connection to the services WWASPS provides to the school.
St. George-based WWASPS has affiliations with seven boarding schools for troubled teens -- including a facility in Randolph and schools in La Verkin.
Several programs, including facilities overseas, have come under scrutiny amid allegations of child abuse.
Several schools associated with WWASPS have been closed after such allegations.
The investigation into Ivy Ridge was initiated after state police said a teenager was beaten while being transported to the school. New York State police said the transport service had ties to WWASPS, an allegation the organization has denied.
"The World Wide Association doesn't deal directly with the kids," Kay said. "We're a service provider. What always surprises me is, of course, these allegations. ... There is nobody in this organization that thinks it's OK to abuse a child mentally or physically in any way."
WWASPS was founded by Utah resident Robert Lichfield, a top contributor to the Republican party at local and national levels.
This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D3.
