Fornits

Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora
An open discussion about the troubled parent industry

An off-the-wall yet interesting aside: Like Jacob Moreno, founder of psychodrama, MBA co-founder Alex Bitz is a Romanian expatriate:



Bitz, Alex - Alumni Services Director

Educated in Film and theatre arts in Romania, Alex Bitz became a political refugee and came to the USA in 1984. He is a founding staff member of MBA. Since 1988 he has brought his creativity and passion to every aspect of the school (workshops, training, mentoring, arts, etc.). After more than 20 years of successfully working with children and families, Alex is as consumed with the work as he was his first day. Alex is a certified Life Coach and can often times be found traveling with students to Eastern Europe on the LaMancha Workshop.

Phone:  Extension 325 0r dial 541-410-7975
Email:  [email protected]

Whooter has a fondness for Romania as well. Curious.

OUT OF THE SIXTIES
By: Lon Woodbury

Those of us old enough to remember the 1960s will recall a decade of tremendous change, creativity and turmoil. It was a turning point decade, a time when many of the old attitudes were cast off and new directions taken. At least one national social critic has asserted that when you look at the things going wrong in this country today, they all came out of the 1960s. On the other hand, many of our most respected contemporary values were products of the 1960s.

In education and personal growth, a tremendous amount of creativity and new thinking began during the 1960s. Traditional public and private education thinking was widely challenged. The traditional interventions for emotional and behavioral problems of juvenile detention or hospitalization were criticized as harmful all too often.

Storefront schools and other experimental and experiential forms of education flourished, as they tried to break away from the traditional model of education founded on the concept of the factory in the early years of the 20th century. In personal growth, we saw est, lifespring, synanon, a variety of eastern mystic ideas brought to this country, and a host of other movements with new visions of how to increase human potential. In addition, the concept of individual therapy provided by credentialed therapists, rooted in at least the trappings of science and credentials, finally became accepted legally and culturally. This was marked by the legal acceptance of alcoholism as a disease in 1962, rather than the old view of it being only a moral problem. The 1960s was a cornucopia of new ideas and experimentation, starting a process of developing, interacting, and evolving to find better ways to educate and help young people.

The network of emotional growth/therapeutic schools and programs this newsletter focuses on evolved directly out of the experimentation going on in the 1960s. Part of this experimentation was to establish schools for at-risk adolescents as private alternatives, with parental choice driving enrollment decisions. These influences are still evident, it is these roots in the experimentation of the sixties that make this network unique from other education and mental health associations and networks. Many of the people and schools who started working with struggling teens during the creativity of the 1960s, are still around.

Larry Dean Olson, founder of Anasazi Foundation, discovered that students at Brigham Young University did better academically after going on one of his wilderness experiences in the late sixties, and Larry Wells, Founder of Wilderness Quest, found that taking young Idaho prisoners into the wilderness in the early 1970s reduced recidivism rates drastically. In addition, many of the programs in Montana were founded by people who had worked at, or been inspired by, Spring Creek Community School, a backwoods alternative school founded by Steve Cawdry in the late sixties or early 70s. Cawdry closed the school down several years ago, but its influence remains.

The late Mel Wasserman founded the CEDU School in 1967, and CEDU probably had the most widespread influence on this network. Originally, Wasserman saw how many of the young people he met around his hometown of Palm Springs, California in the mid-sixties were living in total chaos. They had real problems with drugs, relationships and parents, and from the standard institutions and interventions of the time, there was nothing available to effectively help them. He decided to go into the school business. He founded CEDU specifically as an alternative school, designed to provide what these confused young people desperately needed. His genius was in selecting from the currents of experimentation floating around the sixties, those elements that created a whole child education system by addressing their physical, mental and emotional growth. The term Emotional Growth education came out of the CEDU approach. CEDU became extremely successful in helping young people as an alternative to therapeutic institutions. CEDU expanded to establish several north Idaho schools by the 1990s and added the two schools currently in California. More importantly, many people who worked at CEDU left to establish their own schools, or took key positions in other schools, adding their own personal ideas to what they had learned at CEDU. A significant number of the schools in the Emotional Growth/Therapeutic schools and programs network were developed or strongly influenced by people who were originally inspired by their CEDU experience.

Another early school was Elan, in Poland Springs, Maine. Established in 1970, Elan was strongly influenced by the behavioral concepts prevalent at the time, developing into an extremely tightly structured behavioral modification school. Although Elan itself has not grown to beyond the one school, I have met several people elsewhere in the Northeast who had once worked at Elan. It seems Elan?s approach differed from the norm, and it opened people up to the idea that there were ways beyond the traditional to construct a school or program for struggling teens, and they proceeded to act on that insight.

Provo Canyon School, in Provo Utah, was founded in 1971. Although a secure treatment center, they employed several new ideas, including thinking of themselves as a school, and referring to their residents as students instead of patients. Today, there are many schools and programs in Utah that were either founded by people who had once worked for Provo Canyon School, or learned the business from an ex-employee of Provo Canyon School.

Other important influences were Campbell Loughmiller, and his book Wilderness Road, published 1965, from his work with the Salesmanship Club near Dallas. This book, and the Salesmanship Club, found a kid?s behavior gets better after camping out. Primarily influential in the Southeast, this concept of long term camping inspired the Three Springs programs and the Eckerd Programs, along with a number of other smaller programs.

So, what's my point? First, if you start tracing the history of influences on many of the schools in the network of Emotional Growth/ Therapeutic schools and programs, you usually wind up back to just a handful of early founders. Also, much of what is most successful and creative in the schools and programs in this network came directly out of the creative thinking and experimenting that occurred in the 1960s.
http://www.strugglingteens.com/archives ... s0404.html

Will any of these abusers loose their licenses and go to jail? Don't they have a duty to report abuse? Are they all guilty of being implicit with the "treatment". Will they/ Can they plead ignorance?

Our Methods
Our methods emphasize acquisition of self-awareness and self-esteem, and the development of problem-solving and decision-making skills through experiential learning. Students deal with situational living, as well as personal issues in communication skills groups two to three times weekly.
Students learn to address issues that have prevented them from achieving academic and personal success in a highly structured, nurturing, healthy peer environment. The Academy's highly skilled teaching faculty and staff members have proven records in working with children who may have displayed behavior that is symptomatic of low self-esteem and self-concept.
http://www.mtba.com/

Clinical Services
?Our Clinical Oversight Counselor is a Licensed Professional Counselor, and holds certifications in CPC, EMDRC, and CBTC.
?Our Program Director is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.
?Our Chemical Dependency Counselor is licensed and certified.
?Our Phase II Leader holds a Masters in Counseling with a CHSC certification.
?Mount Bachelor Academy employs 11 counselors or program managers with Master’s Degrees.
In addition, Mount Bachelor Academy has on-campus medical oversight, specialized therapeutic services, and psycho-educational testing. Our testing is done by Psychological Solutions, and you may visit their website here to learn more about the staff and the type of testing they do.
Learn more about our Faculty and Staff here.

Faculty and staff at Mount Bachelor Academy consist of credentialed and master's degreed secondary level teachers, a full time certified learning needs specialist, bachelor's and master's degreed mentors (each team of mentors includes a licensed or certified clinician), clinically licensed Program Director and Clinical Oversight Counselor, wilderness first responder or EMT credentialed wilderness instructors, two full time licensed nurses, a full time Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor, and consulting medication management oversight. Staff members receive training in Crisis Prevention and Intervention, Suicide Prevention and Intervention, Wilderness First Responder, CPR and First Aid among other specializations. Teachers also receive special in-service trainings on brain based learning, ADD & ADHD, learning styles, among other specialized modes of teaching. Mount Bachelor Academy staff members are certified in Adoption Clinical Training through the Kinship Center which qualifies them in the areas of grief and loss and maladaptive attachment issues. Team MBA

Mount Bachelor Academy's success as an ideal learning environment and a place where students can safely develop their own identities lies in the dedication and commitment of its staff members. Each MBA staff member considers himself a mentor to students in all that they do. Teaching takes place not only in the classroom, but also at mealtime, during group sessions, in the evening during activities, and in the dorms. We consider it our responsibility to be purposeful and provide opportunities for learning in all that we do with students.

Teachers and mentors strive to integrate students' academic studies with their lessons in personal growth. Consistency and teamwork provide a supportive path on which students can confidently travel. These staff members go beyond their job description requirements to provide the kind of personal relationships that students can trust. For Mount Bachelor Academy staff members, assisting students in their journey of self discovery and aiding their arrival to a productive adulthood is more than a job worth doing, it's their mission.

Executive Director | Admissions | Clinical Services | Academics | Health Services
Residential | Alumni and Parent Outreach Services | Administration | Contract Services

Executive Director
Sharon Bitz, M.S.
Executive Director
Sharon has a Masters degree in Family Therapy and a Bachelors in International Business from University of Oregon. Sharon has over 19 years of experience working with youth at risk and began working at MBA in 1990. She has been the Executive Director at Mount Bachelor since 1997. In a former career, she was a Financial Consultant for Shearson Lehman Bros. and a volunteer worker on Child Abuse Hotline in Portland, Oregon. Recently, Sharon presented at the national NATSAP conference on the topic of Working with Adoptive Families in Residential Placement and has written several articles related to adoption and loss. She is proud of keeping Mount Bachelor fresh and cutting edge by integrating research from the field of neuro-science into the school through mindfulness, yoga, and non-verbal therapies; raising the level of clinical oversight and therapy available to families enrolled at MBA, and working to integrate evidence based practice into all areas of the school. In her personal time she enjoys gardening and writing.

Admissions
Kelli Hoffman
Admissions Director
Kelli Hoffman has worked at Mount Bachelor Academy since 1990. She has over 21 years of experience working with youth and families. She is passionate about her job as Admissions Director. She comes to work each day with a desire to help families through a difficult time in their lives and rejoices with students and their parents at their successes.
Kelli is married to Bill Hoffman, our Residential Director. In her spare time, Kelli enjoys time with her husband, four children and grandson. She also enjoys gardening and antiquing.

Krimsen Bauman
Admissions Counselor
Krimsen is the Admissions Counselor at Mount Bachelor Academy. She has worked at the school since October of 2006. Krimsen brings experience working with special needs children to her position at Mount Bachelor Academy. Krimsen's favorite part of her job is seeing the growth in students and their families from enrollment to graduation. In her spare time she loves to spend time doing recreational activities such as camping, boating, and hiking with her family.

Clinical Services
Matthew Lovell, LMFT
Program Director
Matthew Lovell has over 20 years of clinical counseling experience in acute-care, residential treatment centers, therapeutic schools and private practice, working with children, adolescents, and their families. He received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of California at Berkeley, and his Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from John F. Kennedy University. He became a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in California in 1998, and Virginia in 2007. He is license eligible as an LPC in Oregon.
As an Adjunct Professor at National University, Matthew has taught courses in child development and family therapy. His former positions include being a founding member of the clinical treatment team at Saint Vincent's Hospital in New York, Program Director at Cascade School, and private practice Family Therapist and most recently Dean of Advising at Carlbrook School. Matthew is married and has two adolescent children of his own.

Jim Clark, LPC, CBT, EMDR
Clinical Oversight Counselor
Jim has a Masters in Guidance and Counseling from California Lutheran University. He is an LPC in the State of Oregon as well as a National Certified Counselor. Jim holds certifications in EMDR and CBT.
Jim has over 23 years of experience working with youth, and 18 of those years, he focused on youth at-risk. Previously, Jim was the Director of Residence of Happy Valley School for 17 years.

Jackie Thompson, M.S.
Substance Abuse Counselor
Jackie joined the team at Mount Bachelor Academy in September 2009. She was born and raised in west central Wisconsin. Jackie received her Masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with an emphasis in Alcohol and Other Drug Counseling and a Masters in Secondary Counseling from the University of Wisconsin - Stout. She also holds a Bachelors in Family Life Education with a Minor in Nutrition from the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point.
Jackie began her career working in a community setting with children and adolescents as well as adults diagnosed with sever cognitive disabilities and co-occurring mental health disorders. Jackie has counseling experience in elementary, middle and high school settings and worked as a career counselor at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. Jackie also has clinical counseling experience working in residential treatment with juvenile delinquents diagnosed with mental health disorders, substance abuse, and other addictive behaviors.
Jackie enjoys helping others, hiking, biking, running, and rock climbing. She also enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, drawing, and learning on a daily basis.

Academics
Glenn Austin, M.A.
Academics Director
Glenn joined the MBA team in July 2001. He carries Bachelors in English and Music and a Masters in Music from Azusa Pacific University. He also has done graduate work in Musicology (music history) from Claremont Graduate University. The best part about working at MBA for Glenn is connecting with students. He has an open door policy, and even though he is in a management position, he has opportunities to teach through La Mancha or Shakespeare Classroom.
Glen enjoys seeing students catch up with their schooling, graduating high school or getting accepted into college. In his spare time, Glenn enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with his wife, Nancy. They like to garden and travel together. Also, he enjoys classical music and good drama—stage and screen both.

Lisa Fairman, M.S.
Special Education Director
Lisa earned her undergraduate degree in English at the University of Pittsburgh, and a Master of Science in Education at Duquesne University. Lisa is an Oregon licensed teacher with endorsements in Language Arts and Special Education. In the summer of 2009, she obtained her continuing teaching license in these specialized areas. Lisa is also considered “highly qualified” as a teacher of Language Arts according to No Child Left Behind standards. She came to MBA in 1999 from the Pressley Ridge Schools in Pittsburgh, PA. At Pressley Ridge, Lisa was a teacher/counselor in a residential treatment facility, and then started a therapeutic foster care program. Lisa's goal at MBA is for students to rediscover their passion for learning and to become self-advocates. She believes that everyone naturally loves to learn, and through positive classroom experiences students can regain this. She tells her students that she is at MBA because she doesn't want students to hate high school as much as she did! A true life-long learner, Lisa's latest venture is in flower and vegetable gardening.

Ashlee Johnson, M.A.
Guidance Counselor
Ashlee is excited about the opportunity to positively impact youth as a new member of Mount Bachelor Academy. Ashlee graduated from Texas State University in 2006 with a Bachelors in Communications and Business as well as a teaching certification. After teaching high school speech and debate in Texas for two years, her craving for adventure and the great outdoors led her to Phoenix where she taught at a charter school, worked as a guide in the Grand Canyon, and began her Masters in Counseling. She enjoys connecting with students, pushing them to reach their highest potential and creating positive experiences. In her spare time, Ashlee enjoys everything life and the outdoors has to offer. She loves hiking, camping, rock climbing, cycling, running, scuba diving, sky diving, and traveling.

Terrie Richards
Registrar
Terrie came to MBA in September 2009. She is Northern Idaho born and raised and moved to Central Oregon in November 2007. Terrie brings administrative and customer service strength to our school through her previous jobs.
Terrie enjoys working at Mount Bachelor Academy because she likes to be a part of the students' lives. She appreciates seeing them work towards their dreams and making good decisions for themselves.
In her free time, Terrie enjoys bow hunting, camping and spending time with her friends and family in the outdoors.

Health Services
Susie Fisher, L.P.N.
Student Health Services Manager
Susie joined the MBA team in 2008. She holds a LPN from Portland Adventist Hospital School of Practical Nursing and has a long history working in the medical field. She worked as an LPN for 19 years at the Canby Medical Clinic in Canby, Oregon. After that, she was the Nursing Coordinator at Prineville Medical Clinic. In her spare time, Susie enjoys spending time with her family on their ranch.

Residential
Bill Hoffman, B.S.
Residential Director
Bill has been working with MBA since July 1990. During his two decades of dedication to the school, Bill has worn many different hats. Bill currently is serving as the Residential Director, which involves hands-on, front-line work with our students. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Recreation Management with an emphasis in Youth and Family Agency Leadership from San Diego State University. Bill is also a certified staff trainer in Residential Child and Youth and helped Aspen Education Group establish and set guidelines for the Residential Best Practices Committee.. Outside of MBA, Bill has taught Parent Education classes through the local community college.
Bill loves the challenge of seeing a young person struggle to find their true self identity and assisting them on their journey. He loves helping kids take on leadership roles on campus and setting up fun, recreational activities that build social skills and self esteem. In his spare time, Bill also enjoys everything football, gardening, hiking, being physically active and spending time with his family.

Alumni and Parent Outreach Services
Alex Bitz
Alumni Services and Parent Outreach Director
Educated in Film and theatre arts in Romania, Alex Bitz became a political refugee and came to the USA in 1984. He is a founding staff member of MBA. Since 1988 he has brought his creativity and passion to every aspect of the school (workshops, training, mentoring, arts, etc.). After more than 20 years of successfully working with children and families, Alex is as consumed with the work as he was his first day. Presently, he still wears several hats within our community: Outreach Director, Staff Trainer, and Phase IV Leader, just to name a few.

Mina Steen, M.S.
Parent Services Liaison
Mina brings to this field a 25-year history of professional and volunteer work, focused on the physical and emotional development of children and adolescents. Since 2001, Mina has devoted herself to gaining the specific education and experience necessary to be of significant help to struggling youth and their families. In early 2008, Mina completed a Masters degree in Human Services from Capella University. Mina has also attended trainings and conferences in related fields. She has completed the Professionals In Residence Program at the Hazelden Foundation's Center for Youth and Families. She has toured over 80 therapeutic schools and programs across the United States. In her personal life, Mina is married and the mother of two children, ages 24 and 27. She is a Board member of St. Luke's Hospital, in Kansas City and serves on the Emergency Room, Graduate Medical Education, Medical Research, and End Of Life committees. Past volunteer activities include: President of the Junior League of Kansas City, Missouri, Chairman of the Shawnee Mission Education Foundation, Shawnee Mission East PTA, and Chairman of the Children's TLC Groundhog Run and Chairman of the Children's Mercy Hospital Golf Classic.

Administration
Bill Gowen
Director of Operations
Bill Gowen joined the MBA team in 1995. As Director of Operations, he oversees the management of food services, the business office, facilities maintenance, transportation, safety, security and health services. Prior to MBA, Bill worked in the aerospace industry for 28 years. He has a Bachelors of Science in Industrial Engineering from the University of Toronto. Bill thrives on the variety and diversity in his job.

Kathy Carter
Human Resources Manager
Kathy holds a Bachelors in Psychology from San Diego State University, where she graduated Magna cum laude. She also has graduate level work in Education Administration. She joined the MBA staff in 1988, two weeks before our first students arrived. Kathy hopes, for each student at MBA, that they have a job in their life that is as exciting and evolving as hers at MBA. She likes her job because she feels like her job has always had purpose, that of contributing to the success of our students.

Susie Carroll
Finance Manager
Susie holds a Bachelors in Hotel and Restaurant Administration from Washington State University. Susie has been at MBA since the beginning in 1988, when there were only 7 students on campus and no computers. Today, she lives on a small ranch 11 miles from campus and raises farm animals.

Contract Services
Deborah Coehlo, C-PNP, PhD
Medication Oversight Coordinator
Deborah, representing Juniper Ridge Clinic, is certified as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner with a Doctoral Degree in Family Sciences and Human Development. She, with her husband, Thomas, oversee student medications on our campus. She specializes in behavioral and developmental pediatrics, combining medical, physiological, sociological, and developmental approaches to solving complex needs of today's adolescents. In her position, Deborah hopes to promote the highest quality interdisciplinary approach to assessment, diagnosis and planning for care that minimizes an adolescent's abilities and functioning, connecting them and their family to optimal care. Deborah believes that each child is an individual, and deserves individual care and experiences that led to a fulfilling life.

Thomas Coehlo, C-FNP
Medication Oversight Coordinator
Thomas, representing Juniper Ridge Clinic, is a certified Family Nurse Practitioner specializing in the care of children and adults across the life span. He, with his wife, Deborah oversee student medications on our campus. He specializes in mental health, ADD, and bipolar disorders, combining medical and social factors to provide optimal care for those challenged with learning, biochemical and social challenges. In his position, Thomas desires to advocate for and teach families best practices to help their child grow, learn, behave and communicate well. Thomas believes that the best care comes from families working with specialists to enhance functioning, communication, and success across the lifespan.

Rebecca Herreman, Psy.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Rebecca J Herreman, a licensed psychologist, grew up in Indiana, earned her Doctor of Psychology in 2006 from the University of Denver, and is now a resident of Portland, Oregon. She has worked clinically with children, adolescents, and their families for eight years in a number of settings and capacities including schools, wilderness programs, private practice, and social skills groups. Her areas of interest and training include: trauma, attachment issues, learning disabilities, ADHD, autistic spectrum disorders, group therapy, and multicultural issues. Rebecca is also passionate about international work and using her mental health training she has volunteered internationally in both Bosnia and on the Thai/Burma border. She spends most of her free time in Oregon fixing up an old house or relaxing with friends on the river or a trail.

To learn more about Psychological Solutions, click here.
Many "Mentors" for different levels
http://www.mtba.com/team.html

School poses a threat to children, say investigators
State probe confirms reports of child abuse, rules violations at Prineville-area campus
By Keith Chu / The Bulletin
Published: November 04. 2009 4:00AM PST
http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.d ... ory=NEWS01

Mount Bachelor Academy, an alternative high school near Prineville, was ordered to immediately suspend classes on Tuesday morning, following a state investigation that confirmed nine allegations of child abuse and neglect and more than a dozen violations of state rules.

In its report, the state Department of Human Services found abusive practices at the school — including sexualized role playing in front of other students, sleep deprivation and extended manual labor as punishment — that were first reported by The Bulletin in April and denied by school administrators at the time.

The violations by Mount Bachelor Academy “establishes that MBA poses a serious danger to public health or safety of children at MBA and that MBA should not be permitted to continue operating as a therapeutic boarding school for children,” the state order read.

Mount Bachelor Academy is a private school for troubled teens, located about 26 miles east of Prineville in a remote part of Crook County. As of March, the school was home to 88 students and employed more than 75 staff. Tuition at the time was $6,400 per month.

The state ordered an emergency license suspension, writing that “effective immediately you must stop providing all services, educational or therapeutic, to children until further order of DHS.”

It also cited the school’s executive director, Sharon Bitz, for failing to prevent the violations.

Neither Bitz nor Kristen Hayes, the communications director for MBA’s parent company, Aspen Education Group, returned calls seeking comment about the order. Aspen is owned by Cupertino, Calif.-based CRC Health Group, Inc.

In Central Oregon, the company owns New Leaf Academy, a boarding school for middle school girls; NorthStar Center, a treatment center for young adults age “17.6-24,” and SageWalk, a wilderness school for troubled teens based in Redmond. SageWalk activities are also the subject of a criminal investigation following the death of student in August.

The MBA allegations


According to state investigators, the worst abuses occurred during student therapy workshops, called Lifesteps, which were “punitive, humiliating, degrading and traumatizing,” the report said. In the Lifesteps, and elsewhere, the MBA curriculum “included, but was not limited to, sexualized role play in front of staff and peers, requiring students to say derogatory phrases about themselves in front of staff and peers, requiring students to re-enact past physical abuse in front of staff and peers, permitting staff to engage in the usage of derogatory names, phrases and ridicule of students and deprivation of sleep.”

In March, a former MBA student told The Bulletin that she was made to dress up in a revealing French maid outfit and act out promiscuous behavior — including giving lap dances to male students, as part of one Lifestep. Many other former students, dating back more than a decade, recounted similar stories about role playing, sleep deprivation and stringent punishment.

Among the 18 total allegations in the state report, investigators said the school broke state rules by:

• Requiring students to engage in strenuous work projects and camping alone on an island in “inclement weather conditions” as punishment for bad behavior.

• Censoring phone calls to parents as a way to control behavior. Students weren’t allowed to tell parents about what went on in Lifesteps and other “emotional growth” curriculum.

• Using bans, where students weren’t allowed to talk, touch or look at others for a week or more, as punishment.

• Failing to develop individual treatment for students, depending on their mental health or substance abuse issues.

• Failing to provide trained therapeutic staff to meet the needs of students. The school had no staff member qualified to treat substance abuse or eating disorders, and only one staff member licensed as a mental health professional in Oregon. That staff member told investigators that he doesn’t meet with every student or regularly participate in the emotional growth curriculum.

As a result of the many violations, the state issued a complaint against Bitz, the executive director, personally. If the complaint is not overturned on appeal, that would disqualify her from leading other similar schools in Oregon.

“The Executive Director either knew of the abusive practices of the agency, or she should have known what was happening under her authority,” the complaint said.

In an interview with The Bulletin in April, Bitz denied many of the allegations, saying that former students had exaggerated or were untrustworthy sources.

In background material accompanying the state’s findings, a child psychiatric expert wrote that the methods at MBA risked “reinforcing self-blame and self-loathing attitudes already present in traumatized individuals. It is essentially retraumatizing.”

What’s next


Under the correction order, Mount Bachelor Academy could reopen if it meets a nine-page list of required changes to nearly every aspect of its program within 90 days. The required changes include overhauling the behavior management system based on recommendations by a panel of independent experts, admitting only students that staff are trained and licensed to treat, providing individual therapeutic services to students, creating an independent mediator where students and parents can voice concerns about the school without punishment and replace the executive director.

It also has the right to appeal both the correction order and the emergency license suspension.

Reaction


Despite the state’s findings, at least one parent of an MBA student said she doesn’t believe the school deserved to be closed.

Virginia Stauffer, a marketing professional in Dallas, Texas, said the school worked to correct problems with its curriculum after the investigation began. Correspondence between MBA and the state released in a public records request by The Bulletin confirmed that the school had tried to revamp its therapy practices over the past several months.

“They did everything in their power to change what they were told the issues were,” Stauffer said. “They were keeping the most meaningful part of the therapy or the transitional workshops without the role playing or the staying up (late).”

And Stauffer said the sudden closure could spell trouble for her 18-year-old son, Max, who had grappled with drug and alcohol issues before going to Mount Bachelor Academy. She said she doesn’t know where to send him next.

“I’ve exhausted every avenue,” Stauffer said. “My suspicion is he’ll go back to his alcohol and drug abuse.”

Mike Zielaskowski worked as academic director at Mount Bachelor from 2001 until 2007. Zielaskowski said the facts laid out in the state’s complaint, or what he’d seen of it, matched up with his experience at the school.

“Everything I’ve read is accurate,” Zielaskowski said.

Zielaskowski, who now works at Paulina Elementary School, said the nontraditional methods helped many of the kids who were at Mount Bachelor Academy as a last resort. But after the death of a student at SageWalk, the state may have been reluctant to let the school continue operating, given the possibility of harm.

“It helped a lot of kids,” Zielaskowski said. “At the same time, you’ve got some kids who it probably hurt.”

SageWalk has been shut down since mid-September following the death of 16-year-old Sergey Blashchishen, of Portland, on Aug. 28. Blashchishen collapsed while on a hiking trip in Lake County and then died on the scene.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation into potential criminal mistreatment and reckless endangerment by the school. Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy Chuck Pore said Monday afternoon that he doesn’t have a timeline for completing his investigation.

“There’s more investigating almost every day,” Pore said.

The last school to face closure by the state was Crater Lake School, also based in Bend. That school voluntarily closed for good in 2004, rather than try to meet the conditions for reopening, according to previous Bulletin reports.

In 1998, former employees at Mount Bachelor Academy told The Bulletin that students were “subjected to frequent obscenity-laced screaming sessions by staff members; students are deprived of sleep; a group of girls emerged from one group therapy session with bruising on their arms after they were ordered to clasp their hands in front of them and pound a mattress for an extended period; and another group of girls on a backwoods intervention outing (was) rousted from their sleeping bags at midnight and forced to remove rocks from a dirt road for two hours in the middle of a cold October night,” according to Bulletin reports at the time.

Sharon Ferguson was a parent of a student at the school at the time and corroborated the staff members’ allegations, but later that year, the Oregon DHS determined the school was a safe environment for children.

Ferguson, who lives in San Diego, said she’s glad the school faces consequences this time.

“I can’t tell you how good I feel about this,” Ferguson said. “I had just thought this is going to be like the last time, and they’re going to get away with it again.”

Keith Chu can be reached at 202-662-7456 or at [email protected].