I just noticed that several people on this website are trying to find alternatives to Hyde. I completely understand, given our dreadful experience with Hyde thus far.
Coincidentally, our family decided to leave Hyde and just returned from our visit to another school. For a long time we've had serious misgivings about Hyde, and they've gotten more and more severe. Like so many others on this website, we have become so concerned about Hyde's cult-like qualities, the inferior education, the staff's simplistic views of students' struggles, and the school's refusal to build serious mental health services into the program. So many Hyde kids are being poorly served. We're so relieved to find so many other people who feel the same way we do about Hyde. It's good that the word is spreading.
Anyway, we now feel even more strongly having just visited another school this weekend. We can't believe the difference -- staff were incredibly kind, supportive, well informed, and reasonable. We felt like we encountered fresh air the minute we set foot on the campus. In contrast to Hyde -- where everyone seems to talk from the same set of cliches and pat phrases -- at this other school we felt like we were talking with well meaning, decent, candid human beings. We felt relaxed for the first time in years. At Hyde we feel judged every minute of every conversation. At this other school we could let down our guard. AND, the staff at this other school clearly understand that sometimes students struggle because of their mental health issues. They have a thoughtful, well coordinated, sensible way to address these issues -- and they too pay close attention to students' character and attitudes, but not in the destructive, confrontational way that Hyde does. We had the opportunity to talk with other parents, some of whom have been at Hyde. They confirmed what we experienced about the differences.
We simply didn't know that other schools approach students so much more intelligently than Hyde does. We went to Hyde in a panic, and now we're really sorry we didn't take the time to check in with a well informed educational consultant. Now we know there are some really good alternatives to Hyde.
(I'm not comfortable at this point saying too much about our plans or the other schools we've looked at. The word around Hyde is that if they find out you're thinking about leaving they'll put on the full court press and confront you aggressively about your "attitude" problem. I don't want the grief at this point.)