New project: The sovereign School

[Oscar]

We have been alerted about a new project in Peacham, Vermont called The Sovereign School.

One of the founders seems to be a woman who have worked for Aspen Education Group, Fulshear Ranch Academy and King George School.

The webpage has nothing on it.

As the target-group is women 18-24 it would properly not be on the Wiki. There is a press-release on Strugglingteens.com where you can learn more about it.

[Ursus]

As the target-group is women 18-24 it would properly not be on the Wiki. There is a press-release on Strugglingteens.com where you can learn more about it.

It seems like more and more industry die-hards are widening their focus to include the young adult market.

Here's that press release:

-------------- • -------------- • --------------

Breaking News
Posted: Apr 26, 2011 14:54

The Sovereign School
Peacham, VT

Fitzhugh Announces The Opening Of The Sovereign School

Contact:
Shay Butts
Director of Marketing & Admissions
281-961-6890
[email protected].

In the weeks ahead, we will be providing program and website information as well as new leadership team and staff announcements.


Copyright ©2010, Woodbury Reports, Inc.

[Ursus]

Here's a bit more about Fitzhugh's background ... as related in a 2004 Press Release from CEDU:

-------------- • -------------- • --------------

Breaking News
Posted April 24, 2004

Dr. Fitzhugh to Lead King George School

Media Contact:
Julia Andrick
208-265-0607, Ext. 130/office
208-255-6920/cell
http://www.kinggeorgeschool.com.

About CEDU Education
CEDU Education's boarding schools, therapeutic wilderness program, and transitional living program in California, Idaho, and Vermont accommodate the diverse needs of families searching for solutions for a child struggling academically, behaviorally, and/or emotionally. Founded in 1967, the company has a 37-year history of helping families in crisis. More information is available at http://www.cedu.com.


Copyright © 1995-2010 by Woodbury Reports Inc.

[Che Gookin]

The Sovereign School incorporates Five Keys for Success designed to establish a student's independence: Emotional and Spiritual Wellness, Education and Career Training, Community Service and Apprenticeships, Creative Arts and Art Therapy, and Physical Health and Wellness. Progression through the program provides for the transition of responsibility from parent and program to the student over the course of one year.

So vague it practically ensures they'll graduate before retirement rolls around.

[JElkins76]

This project smells really bad.[  If you know anything about Karen Fitzhugh, Shay Butts or David Hans (their so-called "Clinical Director") report it IMMEDIATELY to the Zoning Administrator of the Town of Peacham, Vermont (Post office box 244, Peacham, VT, USA  05862) - These people have applied for a Town permit, claiming that it will be a BOARDING HOUSE !!!???  

They will come in and start charging $100,000 per year for "troubled" young women to be locked up in this beautiful village.  Note that their chief "psychologist" who will be in charge of "treating" the YOUNG WOMEN is listed as LICENSE SUSPENDED in New Mexico (you can look it up online!) and has no license to practice in Vermont (which also has a public database for all kinds of therapists).

David Hans used to run the Bromley Brook School in southern Vermont, which is closing - possibly related to a sex scandal that took place at that school.  Before that, he worked at the same King George School where Fitzhugh was.  

It's all very, very cozy, Isn't It?

[Ursus]

Note that their chief "psychologist" who will be in charge of "treating" the YOUNG WOMEN is listed as LICENSE SUSPENDED in New Mexico (you can look it up online!) and has no license to practice in Vermont (which also has a public database for all kinds of therapists).

Do you have the name of that chief "psychologist?" As of this post, the Sovereign School website is still under construction and hence, little information re. their projected staff is publicly or easily available...

[JElkins76]

Do you have the name of that chief "psychologist?" As of this post, the Sovereign School website is still under construction and hence, little information re. their projected staff is publicly or easily available...

David Hans.  He used to run Bromley Brook (Aspen)  and King George  (UHS) operations.  How appropriate is it that this male "therapist" is going to be working with (on???) young women patients...  

Information is not available online, but was obtained from public documents on file with the State of Vermont.

[Ursus]

David Hans used to run the Bromley Brook School in southern Vermont, which is closing - possibly related to a sex scandal that took place at that school.

Re. Bromley Brook, see also this recent thread, which opens with a post mentioning a reporter seeking contacts:
• Are there any Bromley Brook School (Vermont) survivors?

The second post in that thread contains a link filled list of Bromley Brook threads on the forum (which may or may not be complete), including one specifically about that sex scandal:
• Bromley Brook staff member charged with assaulting students.

Before that, [David Hans] worked at the same King George School where Fitzhugh was.

It's all very, very cozy, Isn't It?

Indeed it sure is!

[JElkins76]

The Sovereign School incorporates Five Keys for Success designed to establish a student's independence: Emotional and Spiritual Wellness, Education and Career Training, Community Service and Apprenticeships, Creative Arts and Art Therapy, and Physical Health and Wellness. Progression through the program provides for the transition of responsibility from parent and program to the student over the course of one year.

So vague it practically ensures they'll graduate before retirement rolls around.

Except they don't GRADUATE.  They stay until the money runs out.  These girls are 18-24 y/o, with enough behavioral issues to make it worth their (rich) families whiles to spend $8000/mo to keep them out of the way.  Back in the old days, they used to use attics and basements, so I guess this is an improvement.  Sort of.  

Just give up your car, your phone, your internet access, your friends, your LIFE, and sit in Vermont watching the trees grow.  There is NO "career training" available, unless its milking cows.  "Apprenticeships" and "Community Service" opportunities are a joke too.  There are only so many old ladies to help cross the road there.  No theater.  No gym.  Not even a store that's open all year round (just weekends during tourist season... trinkets and postcards, no Cokes or snacks or anything useful.)  There's one church (hope you like Congregational).

[Ursus]

Just give up your car, your phone, your internet access, your friends, your LIFE, and sit in Vermont watching the trees grow.  There is NO "career training" available, unless its milking cows...

Informative YouTube clip for illustrative purposes: woman milking cow

Do Karen Fitzhugh, Shay Butts, or David Hans even know how to milk a cow?

[PEACHAMLOVER]

This project is DIRTY, from TOP to BOTTOM!  

Fitzhugh announced the "school" and she doesn't even had zoning approval!  She wants to place 30 severely emotionally disturbed women, ages 18 - 24 and several full time staff in the middle of a quaint, historic  village that has about 70 people in the miles around it!  And she wants to put all of these people on about 3 ACRES of land!   Note there is no mention about the emotional issues the patients have in any of the literature about the Sovereign School??  You don't get sent away for a year to a locked facility because you flunked out of Junior League!  Her patients will have severe emotional issues, and most of them will probably be battling substance abuse.  Thie Sovereign School isn't even a halfway house -- it's the stop before they even get to a half way house!  And Fitzhugh wants to put it in the middle of a historic village???  I love the part about volunteering in the community.  Do you want 30 emotionally disturbed women in the grade school helping the little kids?  I think not.

I'm all for promoting excellent mental health for those in need.  But you will NOT find a program anywhere in the country that puts these types of poor women in the middle of a town!  They put facilities such as this in the middle of nowhere for a) the patients' privacy b) the patients' safety and c) so that they can have room to exercise, etc. outside of prying eyes and d) for the safety of the community!

What will Dr. Fitzhugh do the first time one of the poor women who has a substance abuse problem gets a visit by her boyfriend.  Maybe he gives her a little present of Meth or Coke.  Then Dr. Fitzhugh will not only have killed the dynamic of Peacham, but introduced drugs into the community.  If one of the women with several mental illness decides, God forbid, to try to take her own life, will the volunteer fire department have pay the facility a visit?

Fitzhugh and her gang want to make money -- an estimated 3MM in gross revenue each year -- on the backs of the poor people of Peacham.  And she's used her charisma to snow good people into believing this is a good idea.  She should be ashamed of herself.

P.S.  She's claimed that she is a minister.  According to her Linked In page, she won't be finished with her divinity studies until 2014 at the earliest.

[Ursus]

From the above 2004 CEDU press release regarding Fitzhugh's appointment to Head of King George School:

Most recently, Fitzhugh was the executive director of Girls Haven, Inc. in Beaumont, Texas, where she designed and founded The Ehrhart School of Fine Arts and Athletics, a Texas Charter School.[/list]

Fwiw, Girls' Haven and its associated charter school, The Ehrhardt School, are both located at 3380 Fannin Street in Beaumont, Texas 77701. These appear to be community based initiatives for kids experiencing difficulties. But, who really knows...

Their respective websites:

• http://www.girlshaveninc.org/
• http://www.ehrhartschool.org/

[Ursus]

Apparently, Dr. Fitzhugh recommends, or recommended while she was at King George School, the use of Adolescent Escort Services - CA for all your transport needs in escorting potentially unwilling students from the West Coast.

AES-CA, run by Roy and Gloria Negrete out of San Bernardino, California, have long been in the binnis of doing escorts for CEDU and the Brown Schools. From their Endorsements page:

-------------- • -------------- • --------------

To Whom It May Concern;

I am writing this letter in support of Gloria Negrete and her business, Adolescent Escort Services - California. AES provides all the transport services for our school, and has for several years. Gloria is the best in the business and I cannot stress enough how important that is to our school.

Gloria always acts with the highest degree of professionalism, compassion and can even make a troubled teenager compliant.

I cannot recommend AES and Gloria to highly enough. This is an example of an outstanding business and business leader.

If I can provide any further assistance, please do not hesitate to call.

Sincerely,

Karen E Fitzhugh, Ph.D.
Head of School
King George School
2684 King George Farm Road
Sutton, VT 05867
(802) 467-1200

[Ursus]

After Karen Fitzhugh left King George School, she took on an admin exec position with Aspen Ed, overseeing their Eastern Division. Here's a press release from three years ago:

-------------- • -------------- • --------------

Marketwire

SOURCE: Aspen Education Group
March 26, 2008 10:06 ET

Aspen Education Group, the Leading Provider of Therapeutic Education Programs for At-Risk Youth, Appoints Karen E. Fitzhugh, Ph.D., to Sr. VP of Eastern Residential Schools and Programs

Dr. Fitzhugh to Oversee Operations at Six Residential Programs and Two Special Needs Summer Camps

CERRITOS, CA--(Marketwire - March 26, 2008) - Cerritos-based Aspen Education Group, the nation's leading provider of therapeutic education programs for struggling youth, has announced the appointment of Dr. Karen Fitzhugh to Senior Vice President of Eastern Residential Schools and Programs. Fitzhugh will be responsible for overseeing operations for the company's six eastern residential programs and two special needs summer camps.

"Aspen Education Group is very pleased to welcome Karen to our executive management team," said Jim Dredge, Aspen's President. "Her considerable experience, tremendous enthusiasm, and passion for serving youth and families in need will contribute greatly to the continued success of our eastern division."

Fitzhugh brings to the position over 25 years of behavioral healthcare experience. Most recently, she served as the head of a co-ed, college-prep emotional growth boarding school in Vermont. Previously, she served in leadership positions at specialty schools and treatment centers in Texas, Florida and California, and had her own consulting firm for ambulatory behavioral healthcare programs nationwide. She is an active board member with the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP). Fitzhugh received her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology/Special Education from the University of California at Riverside.

"I am delighted to join Aspen Education Group/CRC Health," said Fitzhugh. "Aspen is the established industry leader of quality therapeutic education programs, and I look forward to contributing to the quality, integrity and services these programs provide to teens and families in need."

Fitzhugh also has been tasked with assisting Aspen Education Group (a division of CRC Health Group) with public policy and regulatory affairs related to this industry. Dredge adds, "Her extensive experience in this arena will be a tremendous asset, not only to Aspen programs, but to the industry as a whole."

Aspen's Eastern Residential Division includes Bromley Brook School (Vermont), Academy at Swift River (Massachusetts), Cedars Academy (Delaware), Stone Mountain School (North Carolina), New Leaf Academy of North Carolina, EXCEL Academy of Texas, and the summer camp programs of Camp Huntington (New York) and Talisman (North Carolina).

Aspen Education Group is the nation's leading provider of therapeutic education programs for struggling or underachieving young people. Aspen's services range from short-term intervention programs to residential treatment, and include a variety of therapeutic settings such as boarding schools, outdoor behavioral health programs and special needs summer camps, allowing professionals and families the opportunity to choose the best setting to meet a student's unique academic and emotional needs. Aspen is a division of CRC Health Group, the nation's largest chemical dependency and related behavioral health organization. For over two decades, CRC Health has been achieving successful outcomes for individuals and families. For more information, visit http://www.aspeneducation.com or call (888) 972-7736.


© 2011 Marketwire, Incorporated.

[JElkins76]

We have been alerted about a new project in Peacham, Vermont called The Sovereign School.
..As the target-group is women 18-24 it would properly not be on the Wiki. There is a press-release on Strugglingteens.com where you can learn more about it.

Local opposition to the "school" is stiffening, and some of the information put out by its organizers is coming under closer scrutiny.  A new weblog, dedicated to opposition to the project, has been launched at http://http://savepeacham.echorock.org  

The blog links back here...