Academy at Swift River: Private School or RTC

[Deborah]

"Special Needs" refers to any child who qualifies for services under federal disabilities law in order for that child to receive a FAPE (Free, appropriate, public education). Again, this is all federal--this part (basic qualification standards under one or both of these two statutes) doesn't vary from state to state.

Some of the kids at ASR might be dual diagnosis and qualify for special ed under more than one category.
Julie

Yes, that is accurate, based on what I've read, but isn't relevant to the licensing issue. It would be if we were discussing Mass residents who are attending ASR, whose parents want the school district to pay via FAPE.

From EEC:
Group Care Programs must be licensed.

What is a Group Care Program?

A Group Care Program is a program or facility that provides care and custody for one or more children by anyone other than a relative by blood, marriage or adoption on a regular 24-hour a day, residential basis.

ASR does.

Group care program may [/b]include, but not be limited to, a school age child with special needs as determined by an evaluation conducted pursuant to M.G.L. c. 71B, § 3, and as defined by the Department of Education in 603 CMR 28.00

And MGL C 71b addresses FAPE, IEP for Mass residients.

[Troll Control]

From ASR's website:

Academically, our students are not reaching their full potential in the classroom, and are often discouraged by learning differences that have never been successfully addressed.

i.e Special Needs students.

After treatment in an Aspen residential program, both parents and teens indicated the teens? emotional problems had been reduced to a normal range.

Providing treatment.

What Parents And Their Teens Told Researchers: Upon admission, teens were experiencing various psychological and social challenges including:

Disruptive behavior disorders
Substance abuse
Mood disorders
Learning disorders
Eating disorders
Personality disorders
Anxiety
Trauma

i.e. Special Needs and psychologically disturbed patients.

One member of the faculty and two consultants offer support for Special Learning Needs, and attention is paid to records and background at the time of a student's enrollment.

i.e. Special Needs.  BTW, where's the certified Special Ed teacher?

Our Team Model:

Clinical Director
Students assigned a Masters level counselor who heads a team.
Individual Therapy 1x/week
Group Counseling 3x/week
Team Groups, Themed Groups (Mood Management, Adoption, Loss, Eating Disorders, Relapse Prevention

i.e. Therapy and Drug Treatment.

The emotional growth and counseling program at Academy at Swift River boarding school for boys and girls focuses on trust and honesty, especially in terms of the individual child's personal story. Peer group development continues and the intensive cognitive and emotional aspects of the therapeutic program begin.

i.e. Therapy and Group Therapy.


Sure as hell doesn't fit the requirements of a "school."  Clearly a residential treatment center.

This about sums it up.
I think this spells it out very clearly in ASR's own words, quoted directly from the website.  Special needs.

[TheWho]

In all of the following, whenever I say something about ASR, it is all just my personal opinion.

As any parent who's spend the countless hours, days, weeks, accumulating the knowledge to navigate the system and then navigating the system for disability advocacy for their own child knows:

"Special Needs" refers to any child who qualifies for services under federal disabilities law in order for that child to receive a FAPE (Free, appropriate, public education). Again, this is all federal--this part (basic qualification standards under one or both of these two statutes) doesn't vary from state to state.

Most specifically, it means any child who qualifies for a 504 plan or an IEP plan.

For a 504 plan, you can qualify based on OHI (other health impaired) or EBD (emotionally or behaviorally disordered).

Some of the kids at ASR might be dual diagnosis and qualify for special ed under more than one category.

Virtually every child ASR claims to service, if the child actually has the problems the parents and ASR say he has, would qualify for a 504 plan in the EBD category.

Julie

Thanks Julie,  Thats the answer to my question.  So it seems the key is how the term "Special needs" is defined by the State and how the kids at ASR are categorized by them. If the state feels they are "Special needs" students (or at least 30% of them) then ASR will be required to be licensed by order of the EEC as a "Group Care Program"

[Troll Control]

Yeah, they're a RTC.  They need to license.

[hanzomon4]

Who, ASR mainly provides special needs services. It doesn't matter whether or not the kids fit the special needs moniker according to a dx because the services given define their designation.

It doesn't make one bit of sense for any facility to offer special services to people who don't need them. Thats like a hospital claiming to be a hotel because the residents aren't sick yet still providing all of the services of a hospital, it's madness..........

If you want to draw blood, operate, or perform any service provided by a hospital you have to follow the rules and regulations that govern a hospital

If you want to have mandatory group therapy, psychotherapy, or any other special service you gotta get the license that govern such services.........

[TheWho]

Who, ASR mainly provides special needs services. It doesn't matter whether or not the kids fit the special needs moniker according to a dx because the services given define their designation.

It doesn't make one bit of sense for any facility to offer special services to people who don't need them. Thats like a hospital claiming to be a hotel because the residents aren't sick yet still providing all of the services of a hospital, it's madness..........

If you want to draw blood, operate, or perform any service provided by a hospital you have to follow the rules and regulations that govern a hospital

If you want to have mandatory group therapy, psychotherapy, or any other special service you gotta get the license that govern such services.........

so what you are saying is it doesnt matter if the kids are tested and found to be "Special needs " students or not.  The school is defined and categorized by the services they offer (i.e therapy, physical or mental, speech, .etc.)  I see what you are saying.  I was thinking the other way where the Type of kids attending would be the definitive factor....interesting point.

[hanzomon4]

If the kids were a deciding factor many of them probably wouldn't be there(ASR) to begin with.
But either way (special needs or not) something about this doesn't make sense.

• If the kids do have special needs why does ASR's licensing claim not to cater to those needs?
• If the kids are not special needs why are they being given special needs services?

[TheWho]

If the kids were a deciding factor many of them probably wouldn't be there(ASR) to begin with.
But either way (special needs or not) something about this doesn't make sense.

• If the kids do have special needs why does ASR's licensing claim not to cater to those needs?
• If the kids are not special needs why are they being given special needs services?

Well, that is why I asked the questions about the definition of ?Special Needs?.  I don?t think the kids that are attending ASR qualify as ?Special needs? under the testing requirements laid down by the state and qualify for services etc. (I know there are other factors besides the test, dont shoot me).  These kids (the ones I got to know) didn?t have IEP?s growing up.  So I think if they examined and tested each child they would find they didn?t fall into this category.  So they may fall outside the definition but are receiving the services anyway? so how does this define the school?
So it will be interesting to see how this plays out and how the law is defined.

[Deborah]

Someone please quote this so I know my posts are visible.

Debating "special needs" with Who is a moot issue. First and foremost ASR meets the definition of a "Group Care Program". Therefore, they should be licensed.

From EEC:
Group Care Programs must be licensed.

What is a Group Care Program?

A Group Care Program is a program or facility that provides care and custody for one or more children by anyone other than a relative by blood, marriage or adoption on a regular 24-hour a day, residential basis.

While it is not a determining factor in the need for licensure, we could discuss the issue of "special needs" in terms of, whether or not:
*ASR receives IEP money
*parents file insurance claims for any portion of tuition
*parents write off expenses for traveling to visit their "disabled" child

[Troll Control]

Who, ASR mainly provides special needs services. It doesn't matter whether or not the kids fit the special needs moniker according to a dx because the services given define their designation.

It doesn't make one bit of sense for any facility to offer special services to people who don't need them. Thats like a hospital claiming to be a hotel because the residents aren't sick yet still providing all of the services of a hospital, it's madness..........

If you want to draw blood, operate, or perform any service provided by a hospital you have to follow the rules and regulations that govern a hospital

If you want to have mandatory group therapy, psychotherapy, or any other special service you gotta get the license that govern such services.........

 :idea:  :exclaim:

[RobertBruce]

The thing I dont get after looking over the regs is why ASR would be so opposed to them. They're a great deal less restrictive then GA's. From what I know of ASR it doesnt even appear theyd be losing all that much.

[Deborah]

Indeed Mass regs are antiquated. They need to get current and ammend them so they're closer to Utah's.

http://www.rules.utah.gov/publicat/code/r501/r501.htm

Now, as with Utah, whether or not Mass would properly enforce them is another matter. But at least they'd be there to enforce.

[Deborah]

"Working here is a dream come true".- Common comment by staff at Aspen Achievment Academy.
This enthusiasm is common to Special Purpose Schools and Programs, and very understandable for several reasons. First: Paperwork, red tape, and regulations are kept to a minimum. This is a refreshing change for those staff who came from hospitals and treatment centers where the need to meet regulations sometimes overshadows the needs of the residents.
http://www.strugglingteens.com/archives ... sit01.html

They had already had a kid on suicide watch jump off a cliff and a 14 year old girl sodomized by a female "counselor".

[TheWho]

"Working here is a dream come true".- Common comment by staff at Aspen Achievment Academy.
This enthusiasm is common to Special Purpose Schools and Programs, and very understandable for several reasons. First: Paperwork, red tape, and regulations are kept to a minimum. This is a refreshing change for those staff who came from hospitals and treatment centers where the need to meet regulations sometimes overshadows the needs of the residents.
http://www.strugglingteens.com/archives ... sit01.html

They had already had a kid on suicide watch jump off a cliff and a 14 year old girl sodomized by a female "counselor".

I think it should be noted, this was 20 years ago......

[Troll Control]

"Working here is a dream come true".- Common comment by staff at Aspen Achievment Academy.
This enthusiasm is common to Special Purpose Schools and Programs, and very understandable for several reasons. First: Paperwork, red tape, and regulations are kept to a minimum. This is a refreshing change for those staff who came from hospitals and treatment centers where the need to meet regulations sometimes overshadows the needs of the residents.
http://www.strugglingteens.com/archives ... sit01.html

They had already had a kid on suicide watch jump off a cliff and a 14 year old girl sodomized by a female "counselor".

I think it should be noted, this was 20 years ago......

Well, your math is a little funny.  It was 15 years ago.

And Aspaen is still just as unregulated as it ever was.  Why do you think that after 15 years Aspen has made no movement toward "getting with the program"?