I'm sure this has been posted before but it popped up second when I googled Hidden Lake Academy.
http://www.heal-online.org/hiddenlake.htmHIDDEN LAKE ACADEMY
Dalilonega, GA
SURVIVOR REPORTS
Report One: By Anonymous Survivor
Your [HEAL?s] assumption that Hidden Lake Academy is an abusive facility is correct, in spite of the fact that they are expensive ($5,400 +/mo) and have ?licensed? staff.
Among other abuses that former participants have alleged, they apparently:
*Accept teens in violation of the ICPC.
*Diagnose teens during interviews with prospective parents, based on the parents observations.
*Limit the teens access to parents and forbid contact with other family members.
*Screen incoming and outgoing mail.
*Do not allow teens access to a public phone or allow unmonitored communications.
*Perform restraints in violation of their statement against such.
*Have a limited calorie diet for teens who are on ?restriction?, which technically could go on indefinitely.
*Require teens to clean the grounds, make trails, dig ditches, and pick up trash as punishment.
*Operated for 7 years without a license as a traditional boarding school while advertising to the public as a Therapeutic College-Prep Boarding School; and stating at their website that a portion of the monthly tuition may be covered by medical insurance and that monthly tuition may be tax deductible. They are not listed with the Office of Regulatory Services as a Residential Treatment Center.
http://www2.state.ga.us/Departments/DHR/ORS/*They are not listed with the DOE as a private school:
http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/_dbs/schools/p ... stemID=693*While HLA is listed as a Educational Agency with Special Purpose at Ga Accrediting Commission
http://www.coe.uga.edu/gac/index.html*Opened an unlicensed Wilderness Program and professed that it was not a boot camp, yet until recently, the majority of employees were ex-military who did not possess credentials or experience working with teens or families.
*They violate many of the state regulations set up to protect patients rights and safeguard against abuse.
http://www2.state.ga.us/Departments/DHR/ORS/*While HLA doesn?t state that they are associated with CEDU, they use CEDU terms and similar techniques such as ?peer groups, rap, bans, fall-out, etc?. Their name has been mentioned in association with CEDU.
http://www.strugglingteens.com/archives ... /np03.html and
http://fornits.com/wwf/viewforum.php?forum=41 *The original Headmaster at HLA who was a former CEDU employee went on to help start another east coast facility which had problems with CPS for not possessing a license and for abuse alleged by a former employee.
http://old.valleyadvocate.com/articles/swiftriver.html *The owner of HLA is an Educational Consultant and only refers to his programs.
http://www.educationalconsultant.net/About%20us.htm He funded the creation of an industry association-NATSAP
http://www.strugglingteens.com/archives ... ews01.html which opposed legislation designed to protect ?escorted? teens.
http://www.strugglingteens.com/archives ... een03.html The fact that they list homosexuality as a ?problem? is curious, as many who have met the owner believe him to be a homosexual.
Report Two: By Amanda M.
I attended HLA for almost three weeks. After about 11 days there, another girl and I attempted escape. We were then placed on the restriction. She cooperated, I did not. I was eventually kept in their "isolation cabin" with someone watching 24/7. I was purposely fed moldy bread, warm, old cheese and 1 piece of rotten fruit every meal, which I refused. Nothing but warm water was provided at meals. I was kept in the isolation cabin with rats, mice, and other insects. I was not allowed to brush my teeth for over 2 days. I was menstruating and not given any feminine products, nor a change of clothes, nor a shower. I received a shower at the local detention center over 3 days after my isolation started, after I found that I could walk away, only to be arrested, which unfortunately was my best option (got me a shower and a phone call). I left the detention center 3 hours later...I was never sent back to HLA and finished school at a normal boarding school.
As for the academics, there classes are nothing more than supervision sessions. No teaching or learning goes on there. They signed me up for double art when I arrived.
To read more experiences of participants, parents, and ex-staff, visit:
http://amazingforums.com/forum/BS4/forum.html and:
http://www.fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.ph ... 22&forum=9 If you were abused or had your rights violated at Hidden Lake Academy, please e-mail your personal testimonial to us so we may post it as a warning to others here. E-mail testimonials to:
[email protected]