Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > CEDU / Brown Schools and derivatives / clones

IS CEDU SLIGHTLY LIKE IRAQ ?

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Maximus:
[ This Message was edited by: Maximus on 2004-05-12 17:36 ]

Antigen:
I know how you feel. Thought you might apreciate this.

http://fornits.com/glory.htm
To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

--- End quote ---

chinsk:
Not to be a dick or anything, but how about we keep the political talk off the board.  There are a million forums one could visit to have those kinds of talks.  It will simply detract from the real point of the board.

Anonymous:
Section: THE HANDLE

Page: B1

Author: By Kevin Keating Staff writer

The parent company for three pricey schools for troubled teens near Bonners Ferry is being sued by two

former students for fraud, racketeering and battery.

The suit was filed in District Court on Tuesday. It alleges that Rocky Mountain Academy, Northwest

Academy, Ascent and their California-based parent company, CEDU Educational Services Inc., grossly

overcharge parents, and have ill-trained staff who verbally and physically abuse students.

 

Alleged abuses include one student's arm being broken by a counselor and several students being

punished by sitting on stools in the cold for as long as two days.

School officials referred questions to their attorney, David Wohlgemuth. He said he had not seen the

complaint and could not comment on it.

The lawsuit claims the schools' counselors are paid based on how long they keep students enrolled.

Counselors receive bonus pay if they can persuade parents to transfer their children into other schools or

programs run by the company, according to the lawsuit.

Programs can cost from $6,800 a month to $16,000 for a six-week outdoor course.

Much of the lawsuit stems from information parents and lawyers received about the school after a student

riot in January 1997. Five people were injured, including students and school staff members in Bonners

Ferry.

Boundary County law enforcement was called in to quell the riot. It launched an investigation of the school,

but no charges were filed. The riot was not reported to Idaho health and welfare officials. But after reading

about the melee in the newspaper, state Child Protective Services officials launched an investigation of

Northwest Academy, a rustic outdoor program.

``It is our belief that the cause of the riot was the result of frustration by students over mistreatment by a

number of staff towards these children,'' said a health and welfare report. The report is included in the

lawsuit.

CEDU charged former student Kevin Accomazzo's parents $30 to drive their son to the hospital after a

school counselor restrained and broke the teenager's arm, the complaint said.

According to reports by health and welfare officials - included in the lawsuit - the counselor grabbed

Accomazzo and put him in a bear hug to stop him from leaving a room. He wrestled the teen to the ground,

and they both heard a ``snap.''

In their report, health officials said the counselor laid on top of Accomazzo for 10 to 15 minutes before

sending someone for medical help. After the teen's arm was put in a cast, the doctor ordered him not to lift

anything heavier than a pencil.

But Accomazzo was put back to work at the camp, chipping ice, shoveling snow and hauling pots of water,

according to the lawsuit. His arm failed to heal properly. It had to be rebroken and a plate surgically

implanted, the lawsuit said. Weeks after the surgery, Accomazzo was forced to sleep in a damp, unheated

tent.

``It is our opinion that this injury should never have occurred,'' the report by health and welfare officials

stated. They recommended Accomazzo be pulled from the school and the counselor ``should not ... work

with children in any capacity at CEDU.''

Accomazzo's broken arm was not reported to state health and welfare officials as is required by law.

The school has a consultant, Rich Donavon, to make sure it complies with state requirements. Donavon, the

former director of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, claimed the broken arm was an accident and

didn't need to be reported.

``During the previous two years we have made it clear to the administrators of CEDU, including consultant

Rich Donavon, that any suspicious injury needs to be reported,'' the health and welfare report said.

``Injuries such as that experienced by Kevin Accomazzo clearly should have been reported, along with the

findings from a medical examination.''

The school was also chastised by health officials for making students sit on stools in the cold as

punishment. Some students were allegedly placed on the stools for as long as two days. ``Allegations

regarding abuse and neglect by specific employees of Northwest Academy are found to be valid,'' the

health and welfare report said. A copy of the report was sent to state officials who license the academy.

Accomazzo and his parents also claim they were bilked for thousands of dollars. The Accomazzos paid

$16,000 for a six-week outdoor program called Ascent.

In addition to tuition, the family was charged $60 to $80 a month for laundry, and $40 for their son's ride to

the dentist. A van typically took six students to Sandpoint for a dental visit, a 30-mile ride. All the students

were charged $40 for the trip, according to the lawsuit.

``These charges are exorbitant,'' said the lawsuit filed by local attorneys Steve Very and Todd Reed, who

also is a deputy prosecutor for Boundary County. They asked a judge to bar CEDU from continuing to bill

parents for ``unconscionable'' sums of money and sending out false billing statements.

Claims made by Stanton Lewis, another former student who filed suit, are similar to those of Accomazzo.

The lawsuit alleges CEDU has breached its contract by not providing the education that was promised.

The CEDU program is one of the largest employers in Bonners Ferry. Some famous troubled teens have

attended the program, including children of Barbara Walters and Roseanne Barr.

Anonymous:
The comparison between what is now happening in Iraq prisoner of war camps and CEDU is an important discussion. If a person does not want to be a dick then he would be best off not trying to control speach

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