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Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => Aspen Education Group => Topic started by: Deborah on January 27, 2005, 02:29:00 PM

Title: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/Aspen
Post by: Deborah on January 27, 2005, 02:29:00 PM
Also published by:
Issues & Alibis

There has been a lot of attention paid to Alberto Gonzales? record of statements regarding the use of torture in Iraq. These questions, on their own, are quite serious. There are additional troubling prospects regarding his nomination for the office of Attorney General. I do not believe that he is in any way an appropriate nominee for anything related to law enforcement policy. In the year 2001, I wrote countless letters to Senators opposing a large number of Bush?s nominees. This time around, there is only one nominee who I have very serious concerns about, and that?s Alberto Gonzales.

Alberto Gonzales? record as the primary person responsible for setting a policy which encouraged the use of torture overseas is one which not only raises serious concerns about how he would enforce the law with regards to overseas personnel, it also raises questions about how he would implement the law here in the United States with regard to law enforcement officers, and prison guards. These are extremely relevant questions whose answers are extremely important given the responsibilities with which Attorney Generals are entrusted:

What would he do to prevent police brutality? What would he do to curb the spread of rapes within U.S. prisons -by inmates to other inmates, as well as by prison guards to inmates? What would he do curb institutional child abuse?

My concerns regarding these issues run deep. I know that these issues are important both in Iraq, and here in the United States. Torture is a problem here in the United States as well as overseas. When I was eleven years old, my parents sent me away to a camp which was marketed as a ?hyperactivity treatment? camp. It was  called the Academy Of New Horizons in St. Johnsville, N.Y. The owners, Mary Pauer and Neil Schwartz, subjected me and a handful of other kids to many of the same forms of torture and humiliation which were used in Abu Ghraib- including forced nudity, being tied naked to a tree or in a hammock, being forced to stand in one place for several hours in the heat, being physically beaten, and they attempted to force us to recite humiliating things about ourselves. They kept me there for the winter for a ?school? season, and did more of the same, only in the winter the forced outdoor nudity was much more painful. This was done to anyone who didn?t allow themselves to be completely controlled by the school?s staff- they were not trying to enforce reasonable forms of adult supervisory control, but manipulative and degrading forms of control- control meant to achieve demoralization.

This was what they marketed as ?hyperactivity treatment?- they beat and abused children until the kids were afraid to move, so when they returned home, they appeared calm and the school appeared to have done its job. As an adult, now, I can safely say there was nothing therapeutic about what they were doing there, and I have scores of later opinions from medical and psychological health professionals to back that conclusion up. What they did there was torture with the goal of breaking people?s spirit for the purpose of creating the illusion that they somehow ?cured? hyperactive children  - ten, eleven, twelve year old children. I was subjected to the worst of this treatment because I ceded nothing to them and refused to let them demoralize me. The school?s NY location was apparently forced to shut down, but then they relocated to Delaware and assumed the name Cedars Academy. They are now owned by a company called Aspen Schools. The first owner, Mary Pauer, still works there. That?s the kind of accountability you have when the police in areas where there are institutions like those are either poorly equipped or unable, or unwilling to investigate the practices of institutions where torture might be taking place.

From what I know about the goings on within places like that, I know for a fact that torture is a serious problem in a wide range of institutions where people have wide latitude with which to supervise others. Any place where people can wield unchecked authority over others, is a place where abuse can occur, and it does occur with frequency in prisons, schools, camps, hospitals, and other institutions.

We need an attorney general who will take aggressive steps to crack down on institutions like those, where torture is used to intimidate and control people. Alberto Gonzales needs to somehow convince the nation that he can be trusted, that he will reliably investigate and disrupt institutions where torture is used, here in the United States, as well as overseas. If he doesn?t plan on doing that, especially in light of his track record, which he has yet to fully explain, then he definitely should not be considered for Attorney General. It would be ludicrous to suggest that safety or security is a priority if nothing is being done to ensure the safety of those of our children who can easily be abused ? where their parents are unable to see how their children are truly being treated- where the only people who could possibly do something to protect these kids are the law enforcement officials whose actions, on some level, are partially the responsibility of the Attorney General. Mr. Gonzales needs to explain what he intends to do to stop that kind of activity here in the United States, as well as abroad.

He owes that to the soldiers in Iraq, to the families here at home, and to the American children who currently suffer as victims of institutional torture and abuse, who may have been watching television when the torture in Abu Ghraib was first publicized, the children who then must have thought their own situation truly hopeless if that type of treatment is something their own government seems to endorse. Those kids need to know that the next attorney general will at least attempt to find out if they are being abused or tortured, and put a stop to it. They await Mr. Gonzales? answers.

Mike Schiller is an editorialist, poet, and founder of an internet based policy analysis group, Dem-Elections-Strategy

©2004 Michael A. Schiller
Written by Mike Schiller

Permission automatically granted to reprint and/or republish this article, as long as the article is not edited and the authorship information remains intact.



[ This Message was edited by: Deborah on 2005-01-27 11:29 ]
Title: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/Aspen
Post by: Anonymous on February 04, 2005, 08:16:00 AM
Help me Deborah, I just enrolled my son at Cedars Academy in Delaware and then our first phone call he is crying a begging me to come get him.  He says the staff tell lies and not to believe them.  He just completed a year at another Aspen program and this was supposed to be a move up...but seems worse.  Are there any good boarding school for children with severe learning disorders out there. I am so scared for him.
Title: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/Aspen
Post by: Anonymous on February 04, 2005, 08:18:00 AM
This the is desparate mom again. I guess from reading there are other people experiencying this trauma
Title: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/Aspen
Post by: Deborah on February 04, 2005, 09:07:00 AM
Sorry I missed your request Anon Mom.

I can't tell you what to do... but I'll tell you what I would do.

Personally, I'd take crying and begging seriously. I would demand that they set up an UNMONITORED phone call with my son, so he could speak freely. Confirm with him that no one is in earshot.
Ask enough questions to determine the extent of what's happening, letting him do most of the talking. I'd ask clarifying questions, but nothing leading. If I were convinced that things weren't kosher, I'd hang up, telling him to hang in there... I'd see what I could get done about what was happening. Then I'd drive there immediately and pick him up, unannounced. Then file a complaint with CPS, the local sheriff, and anyone else who might need to know.

If they wouldn't allow me to speak to my son unmonitored, I would be there before the end of the day.

I wouldn't send my child to any facility that limited contact or visits. Period. Depending on his 'disabilities' there are probably resources in your own community. Goggle his disability and see what returns.
Title: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/Aspen
Post by: Anonymous on February 04, 2005, 09:35:00 AM
Deborah, Thanks for replying so quickly. We spent 3 years in the publick school system with failure after failure with IEP. Then he refused to go to school, so I chose what I thought was a great school, well, better than sending him to a Residential Treatment Center.  He did progress and appeared to be thriving there until a couple months ago. Then the school called and wanted to transfer him to Cedars. We have nothing in our small county to offer him. My gut instinct tells me that something is not right. He is 16 and has to go to school by law.  He does have problems, but this school seems to be making it worse.
Title: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/Aspen
Post by: Anonymous on February 04, 2005, 11:00:00 AM
Go get your son.
Title: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/Aspen
Post by: Nihilanthic on February 04, 2005, 04:55:00 PM
Anon, set up an account and contact me with a private mssage, or use AIM, MSN, YIM, or email.

Look up Chi3. She came here just like you, and got her daughter out, and saved her from further bullshit at CSA.

I suggest you go get your kid and find out whats really going on. Being afraid and reluctant to move and letting your kid get hurt more is immoral and unjust.

Religion is comparable to a childhood neurosis.
--Sigmund Freud, Austrian-born psychologist

Title: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/Aspen
Post by: Anonymous on October 18, 2005, 01:22:00 PM
Michael is actually lying about the Cedars Academy.  Sad but true.
Title: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/Aspen
Post by: Antigen on October 18, 2005, 02:04:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-02-04 06:35:00, Anonymous wrote:

My gut instinct tells me that something is not right. He is 16 and has to go to school by law.  He does have problems, but this school seems to be making it worse."


Well, listen to your gut and check into the homeschooling laws and support organizations in your area. Some are cooler than others, but in every state, there's a way around compulsory school attendance. What you and he do as an alternative is pretty much wide open, aside from meeting the state's paperwork requirements.

Necessity is the excuse for every infringement of human freedom.  It is the argument of the tyrant and the creed of the slave.  
-- William Pitt, 1763

Title: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/Aspen
Post by: Antigen on October 18, 2005, 02:08:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-10-18 10:22:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Michael is actually lying about the Cedars Academy.  Sad but true."


Really? What would you know about it? Seriously. What's your relationship to the program?

The plans of true believers for our lives may well be better than our own when judged against some abstract official standard, but to deny people their personal struggles is to render existence absurd.
John Taylor Gatto

Title: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/Aspen
Post by: Anonymous on October 19, 2005, 03:27:00 PM
I know the program.  I worked there for a number of years.  Not while Michael was there, but probably within a couple years.  If the people running the program had suddenly abandoned all they believe and started allowing any form of abuse, I'm certain I would have heard about it from friends of mine who remained there after I left.  But last I hear, things are pretty much as they were when I left.
It's a fairly small program, and the directors are aware of what is going on with each student and staff member on a daily basis. There is a fairly formalized approach for working with the students, which staff members must adhere to. (And no, the formalized approach does not include beating, hitting, nudity, tying up, or any of the other things Michael describes.)
The students who go there, for the most part, have not had easy lives. Learning problems combined with behavior problems have caused enormous frustration on the part of the students and the educators. As behavior problems develop, they naturally escalate. By the time students get to a program like Cedars, they have usually built up a complex set of negative behaviors and avoidance techniques that they come to rely on in stressful social or academic situations, and which are preventing social and academic growth.
From the start, Cedars makes students responsible for their own behavior. The complex negative behaviors are no longer a means of escaping a stessful situation. Instead the behavior is addressed on the spot, and the student is called upon to come up with a more appropriate alternative behavior before moving on to whatever the present activity was meant to be. They cannot play one adult against another, because all adults are following the same program. To most students, this comes as a shock.  The negative coping techniques they've come to rely on over the years are not being allowed, and they no longer serve as a means of avoidance.  The student may respond with fear, anger, and often redoubled efforts at avoidance through escalating negative behaviors.
Those who make the leap, and begin to own their own behavior, can show a great deal of progress. Most soon move far beyond the negative behavior cycle and are able to concentrate on learning. Those who don't may end up playing the "abuse" card, since this is the one thing guaranteed to draw immediate attention and sympathy, as well as a sense of urgency, and succeed in manipulating an already rueful parent into removing them from the school.
Cedars is not an easy program for children. It's very structured, and it calls on them to do things that are personally very difficult for them. But it does so in a humane, caring, and fully accountable way.  To characterize this as abuse is a terrible disservice to the many kids who have benefited and continue to benefit from this program.
Title: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/Aspen
Post by: Anonymous on October 24, 2005, 02:21:00 PM
Yes, Michael is in fact lying about the Cedars Academy. It is a great program - always has been.
Title: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/Aspen
Post by: Anonymous on December 08, 2005, 03:33:00 AM
I am a victim of Neal Swartz abuse and his program of genoiced against the L.D. ? Dyslexic. Why Neal Swartz escapes justice? He has both the Republicans and Democrsts, Far-Right and Far-Left, Liberals and Conservatives under his take.
Who he controls?
1. The GOP
2. Demcrats
3. The Courts
4. The Law Enforcement
5. The Local Government
6. Our Government
7. The Peace movement
   
This why I have a told hatered of the Peacemovement, Saddam Hussine, Slobodand Milosevic, Tiomthy McViegh, Osama bin Laden, David Duke, Louis Farrakhan and every Far-Right winger and every Far-Left Winger, Racists and every sucm bag that reminds me of Neal Swartz. As for the writer of that artical Mike S. he's is nothing but a collaborator of Neal Swartz. Neal Swartz must be brought to justice for his crimes against humanity. IF NOT HE NEEDS TO STOP BY ANY MEANDS NECESSARY::soapbox::  ::soapbox::
Title: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/Aspen
Post by: Anonymous on December 30, 2005, 07:01:00 PM
Did you ask any of these questions?
Forget the website. It looks like summer camp. All of these places have websites that make them look like summer camp.

Here is what I want you to ask:
-what is the average turnover of staff?
-what qualifications and certifications do staff have?
-what is the minimum qualficiaion & certification you must have to get a job there?
-what is their treatment plan? do the work on a basis of positive reinforcement and cooperation or another system of demerits and penalities?
I am concerned that your son has not progressed enough to move up a level.
-what is their SYSTEM of reward?  Is it written down?   What is their SYSTEM for when things are not going well?  Get both in writing NOW.  Give them a fax number, tell them you're waiting.
-is a parent welcome to visit at any time, even without prior notice?
-what is the average length of stay for a student?

If there is ANY doubt, then I want you to get your kid right now.  The next call you make will be to a SPECIAL EDUCATION ATTORNEY, who will review the documents on your son (all the assessments etc). make recommendations if he or she feels more assessments are needed, and will help you work with your school district.

Do NOT leave your child if you are not comfortable, or if they are not able to give you any answers to any of the above questions.  

Good luck.  My heart goes out to you.  I know you have tried very hard, but sometimes you do need extra help.   :wave:
Title: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/Aspen
Post by: Troll Control on December 31, 2005, 07:03:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-10-18 10:22:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Michael is actually lying about the Cedars Academy.  Sad but true."


Upon further research and questioning of former "students," it seems that you are the liar here.  Sad, but true.  Program supporters are, by nature, some of the biggest liars adn cheats out there (except for the wide-eyed newbie staff that get roped in then leave when they see which way the wind blows).

It surely seems that, as an employee, you'd have much stronger motivation to lie than a grown man who is obviously well-adjusted despite the horrifying experience of your shitty treatment center.
Title: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/Aspen
Post by: Anonymous on December 31, 2005, 07:28:00 PM
It's very structured, and it calls on them to do things that are personally very difficult for them. But it does so in a humane, caring, and fully accountable way. >>>

It is evident in your tone and choice of words that it is not done in a humane, caring way.

>>>The negative coping techniques they've come to rely on over the years are not being allowed, and they no longer serve as a means of avoidance. The student may respond with fear, anger, and often redoubled efforts at avoidance through escalating negative behaviors.>>>

And when you force them to give up their 'negative coping techniques', what are they replaced with?
When you take a pacifier away from a baby, you don't punish them for having feelings about it, which is pretty much the standard MO in the industry.

Are you aware that there are more humane ways to do this which are more successful, require a fraction of the time, and do not require abuse- blatant and covert.
Title: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/Aspen
Post by: Anonymous on January 25, 2006, 06:29:00 PM
Quote
On 2005-02-04 05:16:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Help me Deborah, I just enrolled my son at Cedars Academy in Delaware and then our first phone call he is crying a begging me to come get him.  He says the staff tell lies and not to believe them.  He just completed a year at another Aspen program and this was supposed to be a move up...but seems worse.  Are there any good boarding school for children with severe learning disorders out there. I am so scared for him.



"

I can not speak for Cedars Academy, but I did spend time (as a student) in another school owned by Aspen (Aspen Achievment Academy in Loa Utah).  All I can say is, if your son is still ther please do everything you can to get him out, right away.  
These programs use scare tactics to force childern to behave, and do little good to really help them.  In my experience the program consisted af large amounts of neglect, and even abuse.
Furthermore, the web sites for Aspen programs are NOT to be trusted.  They make it look like summer camp, when in reality it's much more like prison camp.
You son will come home a physicly starved shadow of who you want him to be.
Title: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/Aspen
Post by: Anonymous on March 04, 2006, 04:11:00 PM
Are you kidding me? Stripping an eleven year old and having him stand naked in winter or tying him naked to a tree is about 10 years in jail. It is sex abuse of a child under 12. There is not even a pretense of therapy. And these people aren't in a prison cell. Did you tell your parents? Did you call ceders academy where they work and tell them about your experience. I hope your telling the truth because if your not they can bring a defamation and liable suit for all the marbles.
Title: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/Aspen
Post by: Anonymous on March 20, 2006, 09:55:00 PM
I worked at cedars Academy when Neal and Mary ran the place and I must say that they are control freaks who seemed to get off on lording their power over helpless kids.  I hated it and their system so much I had to quit.  I did not witness any sort of physical abuse, but I am willing to state that they were cold, uncaring, and emotionally damaged the children I worked with.  They should not be working with children.  I am glad to sign my name to this because every word is true.

Chris Dawson
Title: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/Aspen
Post by: Anonymous on May 08, 2006, 07:02:00 PM
Hello Chris do you want to contact with a victim of Neal Swartz? How did he know him? He knew him in 1988 to 89 in Upstate NY calle Academy of New Horzins. If wan to contact him? If so? I give you his number and his e-mail only if you say yes. Also he lives in the New York, if you live in the New York area or visiting? I could arrange contact with him.

Please tell me now
Title: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/Aspen
Post by: Anonymous on April 05, 2007, 11:25:12 AM
hate to break it to you people but mike schiller is not lying. i went to new horizons and cedars academy i was there when mike was there
neal swartz is nothing but an abuser and a bully and everyone who worked there was his lackey. he would take you to another building so there would be no witnesses. i wish i could meet him now when he beat on me i was between the ages of 12-16 i am 31 now i would kick his teeth in. the beatings he gave to me would make just about anyone sick  if you think i am lying i will leave my full name and email address for any questions

Seth Lopato
[email protected]
Title: reply to post
Post by: Anonymous on August 28, 2007, 02:23:16 PM
I graduated from Cedars in the mid-late 90's.  I was never once physically abused.   While I may not have agreed with everything I expierienced, I would not change anything from my time there...
Title: Cedars Academy
Post by: Anonymous on September 01, 2007, 11:03:50 AM
I neither worked nor attended the Cedars Academy.  But in the early 1990s I interviewed for a teaching position there.  I had worked with individuals with similar issues before and thought some of the tactics were rather extreme, but thought maybe I needed to keep an open mind; maybe this stuff really worked.  I was particularly concerned at the way one of the administrators treated a student who had been asked to count out the correct number of frozen dinner rolls for dinner and had undercounted.  The staff member ridiculed the student in front of the ~20 or so faculty, students and guests eating dinner, saying that if only the student had "half a brain" (exact quote) she would have gotten it right.

When I was offered a position, I took the advice of one of my former supervisors and asked to speak with graduates and/or parents of graduates of the program as references.  I was told it was against their policy to make such a connection, as it suggested a lack of trust, that it was against their "what you see is what you get" mentality.  

Perhaps against my better judgment I decided to take the position anyway.  However, the offer was subsequently rescinded on the basis that I'd displayed a lack of trust by asking for references!  It was a completely bizarre experience.  I am not surprised to hear statements about verbal abuse given what I witnessed in just one visit in which one might have expected at least the adults to be on their best behavior.
Title: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/Aspen
Post by: hanzomon4 on September 01, 2007, 05:39:06 PM
That's cult mentality, these places run on that kind of blind devotion.
Title: This is the Reasons why I hate the Anti-war movement beacuse
Post by: Anonymous on October 29, 2007, 01:19:08 AM
REASONS WHY I HATE THE ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT

Neal Swartz and Mary Pauer

I HATE THE ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT? IT WAS BACK IN 1988 WHEN I WAS ABUSED BY A MAN NAME NEAL SWARTZ ALONG HIS WIFE MARY PAUER AND OTHER STAFF MEMBERS (HALF THEM MEMBERS OF THE ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT) OF ACADEMY OF NEW HORIZONS. AFTER THAT I SLOWLY TO BEGAN TO HATE THEM, WHEN IN 1999 THEY GOT ME PISS WHEN THEY RALLIED BEHIND THIS GENOCIDAL MANIAC SLOBODAN MILOSEIVC. IN 2001 THEY RALLIED BEHIND TIMOTHY MCVEIGH AND THE 9/11 HIGH JACKERS AND OSAMA BIN LADEN. IN 2003 THEY CAST THEIR LOT WITH SADDAM AND IN 2005 THEY CAST THEIR LOT WITH THE LONDON SUBWAY BOMBERS. NOW WITH REV. FRED PHELPS TRASHING THE DEAD SERVICE MEMBERS,
AND NOW THEY ARE CASTING THEIR LOT WITH THE GEONICAL MANAICS IN THE DARFUR THAT MADE ME VERY MAD AND PISS

THIS WHY THE ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT DOESN'T HAVE MY SUPPORT BEACUSE OF THIS PICE OF SHIT NEAL SWARTZ.

REMEMBER THE VICTIMS OF 9/11, SEBERINICIA, OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING, SADDAM, AND NEAL SWARTZ.

LET'S HELP NEAL SWART MEET SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC, TIMOTHY MCVEIGH, SADDAM HUSSINE, ADOLF HITLER, AND STALIN IN HELLLLLLLL!!!!!!!! VIA NATO 7.62

BUSH AND CHENNY ALONG WITH PELOSI AND REID SORRY "NO DICE"
Title: The Early victim of Neal Swartz is going to challege Swartz in a Boxing Match!!!
Post by: Anonymous on July 31, 2008, 07:54:29 PM
To the victims of Neal Swartz and Neal Swartz supporters  got some great news. Word on the streets that One of his early victims Ted Macris is going to challening him to a Boxing match. Since the States of NY and Del fail to bring him to justice, Ted is going to bring justice to arena. IT'S GONING MAKE THRILLA IN MANILA LOOK LIKE MISTER ROGERS AND IT WOULD THE MATCH INTO THE KILLING FIELDS OF CAMBODIA

WHAT DOES TED MACRIS THINKS OF PEACE ACTIVISTS:

"THEY ARE SUCMBAGS FOR SUPPORTING NEAL SWARTZ ALONG WITH SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC AND OSMAM BIN LADEN"
Title: Camp New Horizons Vicitim
Post by: Anonymous on October 27, 2008, 12:11:57 AM
Holy Crap! Another victim. I too was a victim of Schwartz and Pauer. I attended Camp New Horizons in Shawnee and then St. Johnsville. I have been diagnosed as Aspergers, PTSD, AADD, Tourettes, and GAD. In Shawnee Pa, a counselor named Jeff verbally tortured me as did the other cmapers in my cabin because of my Tourettes. Jeff also sexual abused some of us. It is a dreadful thing to have happened. Mary and Neil once physically beat me down and if I EVER find them they are due such an ass kicking! I am one pissed of person and they caused a lot of my PTSD.

Heres to you whoever you are!
Title: Re: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/Aspen
Post by: iamartsy on October 27, 2008, 04:43:25 PM
I had a friend that went to this school for two years and received lots of help: http://www.landmarkschool.org/ (http://www.landmarkschool.org/) It is in Massachusetts and is not related to "the forum". Her family researched it very well, before sending her. If I had a LD child I would want a legit school for him, not behavior mod (torture). I have been down that road, the torture beat down my self esteem horribly. Either home school your child, put him in a local school with a low student/teacher ratio or find a decent boarding school that relates to his needs. Personally, I would opt for the latter. I know Houston has 2-3 private schools for kids that need a low student/teacher ratio. I would start close to home first.

Just one opinion
Title: Re: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/A
Post by: billS on November 04, 2010, 02:14:07 AM
Ok too many wrong points and whole lot of good points...I was in the AEG programs for 4 years almost...Yeah I didn't like them but it served me well...Now I wasn't there for Neil and Mary but I did hear stories from some people about their tyranny, but I do not believe they supported terrorists. Get a day job seriously! But from what I heard sometime ago, a girl had to take insulin shots on a daily basis and apparently Neil gave her Hep-C, because he really needed insulin once. SO she used it not knowing he used it, he didn't tell her and now she has it for the rest of her life. And yeah thats a real shit thing to do, but most the kids there refused to do anything about their behaviors, most kids brandished knives, I saw a kid break a part a plastic knife and swallow it. He also carved a girls initials in his own skin. And most of the kids that went had torn family values anyways. And most of them ran away because their parents were absolute monsters. It wasn't like summer camp I know that. We had kids come from Military Schools and they said those schools were more enjoyable than Cedars. To all you parents, yeah you might have different opinions on how Cedars treated your kids, but I went there from 04 to 06. Most of the staff was yeah very unqualified but they were nice as hell. And when I was there they never restrained people or "touched" them in any bad ways. The only reason why I think this is so, they wouldn't let the boys mingle with the girls, that was the only problem any of us had. I mean we still had ways to go around that but it wasn't all bad. Most kids that I saw come and go, faked being sick, faked breaking limbs, faked being attacked by other people, faked being real and faked being anything worth a damn. Oh yeah the other reason was the tuition was like 50 thousand dollars. If you can afford that then good luck to you, reason being all those kids were so damn spoiled that at the end of the day they just went crazy and went nuts, cuz they couldn't have their laptops, IPODS, or cell phones. I went to another AEG school b4 Cedars for a year and half with no technology, grow the hell up and do your work like the rest of us and stop complaining.
Title: Re: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/A
Post by: Ursus on November 06, 2010, 10:56:13 PM
Quote from: "billS"
...But from what I heard sometime ago, a girl had to take insulin shots on a daily basis and apparently Neil gave her Hep-C, because he really needed insulin once. SO she used it not knowing he used it, he didn't tell her and now she has it for the rest of her life. And yeah thats a real shit thing to do, but most the kids there refused to do anything about their behaviors, most kids brandished knives, I saw a kid break a part a plastic knife and swallow it.
Wow. So... Neil Schwartz used a kid's insulin needles behind her back, never bothering to tell her, and hence infecting her with HepC for life?

I don't know where to even start with this. WTF was Neil thinking when he was helping himself to the kid's medication? And knowingly exposing her to an infectious and incurable disease? How friggin' irresponsible and insane is that?

 :beat:
Title: Re: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/A
Post by: drew165 on August 26, 2011, 05:56:28 PM
Let me tell you parents, i just decided to go on line and see if this torture chamber still exhisted and unfortunately does...!!! please listen to your kids neil schwartz and mary powell do exhist or did. I was a victim and have many stories and names to go with them. Terrible!! i wrote letters to my parents but these letters were thrown away.. This place was inhumane by all means. Someone please contact me for further info.. thanks..A troubled person from this....
Title: Re: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/A
Post by: drew165 on August 26, 2011, 06:30:06 PM
Does anyone remember a man named Ben from the Academy of New Horizons that was in charge of the excercise program?
Title: Re: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/A
Post by: Ursus on August 27, 2011, 12:08:00 AM
Quote from: "drew165"
Let me tell you parents, i just decided to go on line and see if this torture chamber still exhisted and unfortunately does...!!! please listen to your kids neil schwartz and mary powell do exhist or did. I was a victim and have many stories and names to go with them. Terrible!! i wrote letters to my parents but these letters were thrown away.. This place was inhumane by all means. Someone please contact me for further info.. thanks..A troubled person from this....
Aaah, but Cedars Academy did close in 2009:


It's my understanding that the kids then still there ... got shuffled to another program in Aspen's stable.
Title: Re: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/A
Post by: ExCedarsstudent on December 31, 2011, 08:52:56 PM
As the person who got Hep C from Neal the story is completely wrong and idk why people are even talking about it with out having the facts straight.. Neal was using a girls glucometer to test his blood sugar. He had no idea that he had Hep C while doing it and the girl never ever changed her needles. One day the girl was sick in bed and I had to bring her meter up to her and decided to test my blood sugar. That is how I got it. It was the girls own fault for never changing her needles and also the faculty's fault for not making sure she did it and not checking. As soon as Neal found out he had hep c he never ever used the girls supplies again. He was very careful. He in no means meant to do it and had no idea that he was infected. Actually because he was checking his sugar is what brought him to the doctor. There is nothing wrong with using someone glucometer. Yes I have it for the rest of my life but it is in fact in remission and I went through Chemotherapy for over a year with shots and medication everyday to get it in the stage it is in. The girl who has diabetes may in fact have it.. I have no idea. I did inform her however about my condition. I am going to remain anonymous and if this creator of this group exposes my name there will be hell to pay. Theo has some very strange views on the cedars academy.. Maybe you should hear from other former students who have had different experiences and who had been there for a longer time then Theo has been which I believe was only for a very short period of time. I was there for 3 years and yes there were times I hated it but it made me who I am today... I learned a lot about my self from being there I learned to voice my opinions. I learned to actually stand up for myself I did not graduate from Cedars.. I was transferred to another boarding school which was a lot better for me. I think the reason I didn't like Cedars at first was because I was in 7th grade there and I was young. It was the first time being away from my family and being away from home and the faculty weren't comforting at all Well most of them weren't. There are many of Cedar student who graduated from the Cedars Academy who enjoyed being there, As I said I may have not liked it while I was there but there are times when I wish I could go back,, So please instead of posting about things you don't know.. Why don't you just not say anything at all. Theo is crazy and his views are insane.. Non of the faculty members were Anti war movements Theo has some serious issues. But the Cedars Academy was much different then New Horzions.
Title: Re: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/A
Post by: Ursus on December 31, 2011, 10:56:37 PM
Quote from: "ExCedarsstudent"
As the person who got Hep C from Neal the story is completely wrong and idk why people are even talking about it with out having the facts straight.. Neal was using a girls glucometer to test his blood sugar. He had no idea that he had Hep C while doing it and the girl never ever changed her needles. One day the girl was sick in bed and I had to bring her meter up to her and decided to test my blood sugar. That is how I got it. It was the girls own fault for never changing her needles and also the faculty's fault for not making sure she did it and not checking. As soon as Neal found out he had hep c he never ever used the girls supplies again. He was very careful. He in no means meant to do it and had no idea that he was infected. Actually because he was checking his sugar is what brought him to the doctor. There is nothing wrong with using someone glucometer. Yes I have it for the rest of my life but it is in fact in remission and I went through Chemotherapy for over a year with shots and medication everyday to get it in the stage it is in. The girl who has diabetes may in fact have it.. I have no idea. I did inform her however about my condition. I am going to remain anonymous and if this creator of this group exposes my name there will be hell to pay. Theo has some very strange views on the cedars academy.. Maybe you should hear from other former students who have had different experiences and who had been there for a longer time then Theo has been which I believe was only for a very short period of time. I was there for 3 years and yes there were times I hated it but it made me who I am today... I learned a lot about my self from being there I learned to voice my opinions. I learned to actually stand up for myself I did not graduate from Cedars.. I was transferred to another boarding school which was a lot better for me. I think the reason I didn't like Cedars at first was because I was in 7th grade there and I was young. It was the first time being away from my family and being away from home and the faculty weren't comforting at all Well most of them weren't. There are many of Cedar student who graduated from the Cedars Academy who enjoyed being there, As I said I may have not liked it while I was there but there are times when I wish I could go back,, So please instead of posting about things you don't know.. Why don't you just not say anything at all. Theo is crazy and his views are insane.. Non of the faculty members were Anti war movements Theo has some serious issues. But the Cedars Academy was much different then New Horzions.
Wow. This is so thick I hardly know where to start.

The girl probably never anticipated that she would be sharing, without her knowledge or permission[/b], her glucometer and/or insulin with others at that facility. Are you trying to fault her for not anticipating that?

Don't you think there might be something inherently WRONG with program staff and other students helping themselves to someone else's medical supplies?

Just how many people ended up getting Hep C from Neal Schwartz?
Title: Re: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/A
Post by: ExCedarsstudent on December 31, 2011, 11:09:02 PM
First off I never once said it was her fault. But she gave Neal and myself permission to use her testing kit. I don't know where people are getting the insulin from but she didn't use insulin. All it was was her testing kit. There is nothing at all wrong with thayt. The girl was 12 years old and stupid. She just was too lazy to change her stuff. So yes it was parcially her fault when you know someone is using your testing kit you change the needles. Its as simple as that. And Neal told her to change it but the facult never made use she did it and as I said before she was too lazy and stupid to do it. She was very slow.
Title: Re: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/A
Post by: ExCedarsstudent on December 31, 2011, 11:18:53 PM
She always handed the testinto Neal so its not like it was being done behind her back and I was in the room with her when I tested my sugar. And I am the only one who got it.
Title: Re: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/A
Post by: Ursus on December 31, 2011, 11:51:52 PM
Quote from: "ExCedarsstudent"
First off I never once said it was her fault.
In your previous post (http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=7995&p=410497#p410486) you had said, "It was the girls own fault for never changing her needles."

Quote from: "ExCedarsstudent"
But she gave Neal and myself permission to use her testing kit. I don't know where people are getting the insulin from but she didn't use insulin. All it was was her testing kit. There is nothing at all wrong with thayt. The girl was 12 years old and stupid. She just was too lazy to change her stuff. So yes it was parcially her fault when you know someone is using your testing kit you change the needles. Its as simple as that. And Neal told her to change it but the facult never made use she did it and as I said before she was too lazy and stupid to do it. She was very slow.
Look, I don't know whether you really get this, but in a professionally run facility, which adheres to commonly accepted standards and practices and a robust set of medical ethics, there is NO SHARING of personal medical supplies amongst the attendees. NONE. It's simply not done. I'm hard pressed to imagine that it is even legal to allow such a practice!

It doesn't really matter whether the girl "gave Neal and myself permission to use her testing kit." She's not in a position to write facility policy! She's just a kid, a student there, like yourself. She could have even begged y'all to use her kit, it wouldn't have mattered. The facility should never have allowed it.

Yet here is Neil Schwartz, in charge of this program and responsible for the well-being of its attendees, not only sanctioning this sharing, but availing HIMSELF to the personal use of this girl's testing kit!

And... in doing so, infecting at least one, probably two, and possibly more, students with Hepatitis C, a lifelong infectious disease.

Despite the fact that you now have Hep C — "Yes I have it for the rest of my life but it is in fact in remission and I went through Chemotherapy for over a year with shots and medication everyday to get it in the stage it is in", you still make excuses for Neil and defend Cedars Academy — "yes there were times I hated it but it made me who I am today... I learned a lot about my self from being there I learned to voice my opinions. I learned to actually stand up for myself..."

If you really knew how to "actually stand up for yourself," you would be suing the bejeezus out of Neil Schwartz, Cedars Academy if still possible, and Aspen Ed.
Title: Re: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/A
Post by: ExCedarsstudent on January 01, 2012, 12:17:02 AM
I am the only other person besides maybe the girl who had diabetes who got it.. And I am not going to sit here and argue with you. Hospital use the same glucometer there is nothing at all wrong with it.. Its not medication at all you do not need a prescription to get one. And this was 10 or more years ago there is no point in suing... I was just trying to have the rumors stopped and people were getting accused of having it who don't. there aren't possible more than me and the girl I am done discussing this. I was just setting the facts straight You have no idea what I have been through.. Yes you are suppose to change the needles every week and she would tell the faculty that she did but she didn't.. Yes its her fault Neal had no clue he had hep c while he was using her shit or else he never would have used it. Hospitals re use glucose meters at hospitals, doctors offices so explain that.. And don't ever fucking say I don't know how to stand up for myself Do you have how hard it would be to fucking prove that Neal in fact gave me hep c in the courts.. They will say I could have gotten it from anywhere I am done with this conversation. He didn't infect multiple students.
Title: Re: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/A
Post by: Ursus on January 01, 2012, 01:09:02 AM
Quote from: "ExCedarsstudent"
I am the only other person besides maybe the girl who had diabetes who got it.. And I am not going to sit here and argue with you. Hospital use the same glucometer there is nothing at all wrong with it.. Its not medication at all you do not need a prescription to get one. And this was 10 or more years ago there is no point in suing... I was just trying to have the rumors stopped and people were getting accused of having it who don't. there aren't possible more than me and the girl I am done discussing this. I was just setting the facts straight You have no idea what I have been through.. Yes you are suppose to change the needles every week and she would tell the faculty that she did but she didn't.. Yes its her fault Neal had no clue he had hep c while he was using her shit or else he never would have used it. Hospitals re use glucose meters at hospitals, doctors offices so explain that.. And don't ever fucking say I don't know how to stand up for myself Do you have how hard it would be to fucking prove that Neal in fact gave me hep c in the courts.. They will say I could have gotten it from anywhere I am done with this conversation. He didn't infect multiple students.
Seriously, I am very sorry that you now this disease as a direct result of your having attended Cedars Academy and its quite unprofessional and flagrantly egregious flaunting of any semblance of professional standards and ethics. I can but imagine the myriad lifestyle adjustments you must now make to optimize your physical health in light of your condition. This will, no doubt, become more critical as you get older. I am so sorry this happened to you.

Yes, hospitals may use the same glucose meters for multiple people, but they also change the needles. Why? Needles penetrate the epidermis and access bodily fluids, e.g., blood, and can consequently risk cross transmission of anything that circulates in a person's vascular system which includes not only Hep C, but a whole host of other organisms, viruses, etc., some of which are even worse with regards to their potential long term effects and medical consequences. A hospital is in a position to not only know this, but be liable for the consequences should such a unfortunate event occur.

Cedars Academy was in a somewhat similar position with regard to its position of authority and responsibility to the students attending it, and should never have sanctioned let alone even allowed communal use of an individual's glucose meter by others. It is, ultimately, NOT the 12-year-old student's fault; I don't know why you keep harping on that. She was not in any position to write or interpret facility policy. This was Neil Schwartz's responsibility.

As to proving Neil Schwartz being the source of your Hep C, you should be aware of the fact that viruses often have strains, which differ from one another in select regions of their genome. There are, in fact, six major genotypes of Hep C (http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatitis_C#Virology), not to mention the multiple minor genotypes. If you got your Hep C from Neil Schwartz, chances are that a PCR screen would indicate identical or extremely similar genomes (allowing for some genetic drift or mutation over time) for your respective viral infections. Perhaps this might not be as hard to prove as you may think.
Title: Re: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/A
Post by: CandiedOregon on April 26, 2012, 01:21:00 AM
In reply to all of you

I was a victim of Cedars Academy in 2007/2008

there was no neil wats his face or mary whats her face

there was how ever a Tom, and a Fran that I remember who where very strict and the pe guy name I don't remember but he was a ex marine and would torture us by doing marine pe training

we where never tortured by being forced naked in the woods but I was jumped by other students while staff did nothing but watch

My parents did the right thing and dropped me out of the program

(see my post on cedars academy closes)


I am 20 now and Bi polar I will never forgot the hell I went through back there
Title: Re: Gonzales; Torture Overseas Compared to, Cedars Academy/A
Post by: Batman1776 on December 11, 2012, 12:18:12 AM
reading the ex cedars academy student, she like Seth Lopato to Indian D, are child abuse deiniers. Seth was a victim until he sold out to Neal Swartz. Go as ex cedars student why the Cedars Academy board was taken off on Facebook? The reason why? It was a phoney surivior group, Lead by Indian D, they are nothing but brian wash zombies and sellouts to Swartz. Theodore Macris a outspoken victim of Swartz was always ridiculed when he speaks the turth although he can get carry away or go a Bridge Too Far on it. When Indian D kick him out, he was willing to move on but the tormenetors (or Neal hired on-line gun mem) bully Theodore to the point that he form a petition to kick Cedars Academy off Facebook due to their pro-child abuse views, even one of his firends helpout. It was up for three weeks until Neal's goon squad shut his group down but launching hack attacks on him. Now He lives in fear that it would go beyond hack attacks but gang land style assassination. As for Neal Swartz, he is the most dangerous man in the world he has turn Delware a Domestic Rouge State inwhich he rules it with a Iron Hand. I heard rummors that Swartz ploted to have Ted (Theodore) assassinated. Also why Neal Swartz has not be brought to justice? He is so dangerous he is ploting a 9/11 or Waco domsday attack.
Title: Resaon why there is no Cedars Academy Group on Facebook?
Post by: Batman1776 on March 01, 2014, 02:52:50 AM
reason why there is no Cedars Academy Group on Facebook? three reasons

1) It became a pro-child abuse site and it was overrun by pro-child abusers to the point that it was shut down

2) Also false advertising saying it's a survivors group in-which is not

3) When Neal Swartz finds out about it he'll would use the Delaware State police to high price lawyers to political connections  (including the Obama administration) to shut it down.

Ex Cedars Academy student explain why there is no more Cedars Academy on FB? Also how many pieces of silver did your slave master give you?