Covergaard makes an excellent point. One wonders just how many children at New Leaf (and other therapeutic boarding schools) are children of divorce? Naturally, these children are very frightened and angry, but do they truely suffer from emotional disorders that justify placement in New Leaf. In my friend's case, the custodial parent did not want the child to have any visitation with the non-custodial parent. Very often, custodial parents use placement in private boarding schools far away from the non-custodial parent as a mechanism for preventing visitation. However, the courts usually rule that if the custodial parent wants a private school education for the child, he (or she) must pay for it. The exception to this type of ruling is if the placement is medically necessary for the child. So the custodial parent hires therapists and educational consultants to present "expert" testimony to the court. The therapist recommends a facility like New Leaf (which is a "therapeutic" rather than an academic school). The courts rule that New Leaf is medically necessary and the non-custodial parent must pay half the cost! So my friend is in the position where she is legally required to pay some of tuition at New Leaf but is completely denied contact with her child! It is all so very sad and it makes me so cynical and distrusting of the "industry" of educational consultants, pyschiatrists, pyschologists, and therapeutic boarding schools.
