Academy at Ivy Ridge

Last updated
Academy at Ivy Ridge
Address
Academy at Ivy Ridge
5428 State Highway 37,

Ogdensburg, New York
,
New York
13669
Coordinates 44°38′15″N75°34′8″W / 44.63750°N 75.56889°W / 44.63750; -75.56889
Information
School typePrivate
Established2001
Accreditation Northwest Association of Accredited Schools
Affiliation World Wide Association of Specialty Programs

Academy at Ivy Ridge was an independent privately owned and operated for-profit behavior modification facility in Ogdensburg, New York. It marketed itself as a boarding school. [1] The 2024 Netflix documentary series The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping documented the conditions at the facility and the lasting impact it had on the people who attended it. [2]

Contents

Ownership and affiliation

The institution was owned by the business partnership of the Jason G. Finlinson Corporation and the Joseph and Alyn Mitchell Corporation. [3] The property on which the school stood was purchased in 2001 by Robert Browning Lichfield Family Limited of Toquerville, Utah, [4] and the school opened later that year in affiliation with the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS). In 2003, the New York Times reported that the school's director had previously been an administrator at Casa by the Sea. [5] In January 2006, Ivy Ridge announced that it had withdrawn from WWASPS in November 2005 because of the negative media attention that WWASPS was receiving. [6] However, the Teen Help subsidiary of WWASPS still conducted marketing for the school as of March 2007. [7]

Location

Academy at Ivy Ridge sits on 237 acres (0.96 km2) of land located close to the St. Lawrence River. The facility, the former home of Mater Dei College, [8] has over 200,000 square feet (20,000 m2) of building space which houses classrooms, dorms, recreational areas, computer centers, science labs, food services, and offices. School promotional materials state that the facility boasts cross-country ski trails, nature trails, tennis courts, basketball courts, sand volleyball area, baseball, football and soccer fields, all located within a wooded setting. However, students were not permitted to look out windows at lower levels. A student could reach upper level status in as little as 8 months and earn the privilege to look outside, and occasionally be taken outside to play during a monthly upper level activity.

History

The institution began admitting students in 2001. As of spring 2005 there were 460 students enrolled. [3]

The students started a riot on May 16, 2005, [9] resulting in at least 4 dozen expulsions and 12 arrests. About 35 sheriff's deputies, state troopers, city police officers and U.S. Border Patrol agents assisted in ending the riot and capturing at least 30 runaways. [10] Later in the 2024 documentary series The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping they stated that the Academy at Ivy Ridge had become overcrowded with people even sleeping on mattresses in the hallway. This was due to a large group of new arrivals who came from another WWASPS program called Casa by the Sea which had been closed by the Mexican government.

Allegations of abuse include poor living conditions, unauthorized medical procedures, psychological torture, sexual abuse, and physical abuse. Closed-circuit television camera video footage obtained from the school demonstrate violent restraint tactics used against students.

In March 2009, it was announced that Ivy Ridge would close until fall 2009 in order to restructure. There were about 60 students enrolled at that time; they were to be sent home or transferred to similar boarding schools. [8] In April 2009, the campus was sold to a Delaware corporation, a spokesperson for the purchaser told news media that the school would not reopen. [4]

In 2024, following the release of The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping, the St. Lawrence County district attorney Gary Pasqua announced the launch of an investigation into the Academy at Ivy Ridge. [11]

As of June 3, 2024, the campus remains abandoned and the property is listed for sale at $875,000

On June 26, 2024, The Salt Lake Tribune reported that Robert Lichfield's brother and fellow WWASPS associate Narvin Lichfield, who was director at the affiliated Academy at Dundee Ranch, had filed a civil lawsuit against The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping director Katherine Kubler and Netflix, alleging that he had been defamed and secretly recorded. [12]

Lawsuits and abuse

The facility has been sued by various past students for widespread abuses. [13] When the location was abandoned in 2009, alumni found extensive records of abuse filed and recorded. Various lawsuits against Ivy Ridge, including testimony from students, are documented in The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping, a Netflix docuseries released in 2024. They also kidnapped many teens and children as parents were not made aware of the circumstances of their training. Students and parents were widely unaware of the abuses and due to censorship of letters when students write home, no meaningful communication about it could be transmitted in any way whatsoever. [14]

Calls for the investigation and prosecution of former resident overseer, Amy Ritchie, began making their rounds on the internet following the documentary on Netflix in addition to former employee George Tulip and founder Robert Lichfield, all for child abuse.

On August 17, 2005, Ivy Ridge was ordered to pay civil penalties of $250,000 to the New York State Attorney General, stop issuing unauthorized high school diplomas, and refrain from advertising that it is an accredited school. In addition, it was required to make partial refunds to former students. [15] On December 1, 2006, the New York State Department of Education denied Ivy Ridge's application for authorization to issue high school diplomas. The department's letter to Ivy Ridge stated that the institution had been determined to be principally a behavior modification program, not a school. [16] Following this ruling, the school's enrollment dropped from about 500 to less than 100 students. [8]

In connection with the incident, the Idaho-based Northwest Association of Accredited Schools, which had accredited Ivy Ridge, was criticized for accrediting a school outside of its service area and for violating its own procedures by not requiring a state license as a prerequisite to accreditation. [17]

In April 2009 a judge refused to dismiss a lawsuit related to the diploma issue. [18]

Related Research Articles

The World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools was an organization based in Utah, in the United States. WWASPS was founded by Robert Lichfield and was incorporated in 1998. WWASPS stated that it was an umbrella organization of independent institutions for education and treatment of troubled teenagers. Many outside observers believe, however, that the WWASPS-affiliated institutions were actually owned through limited partnerships, many of which have used the same street address by WWASPS or its principal officials or their close relatives. WWASPS is connected to several affiliated for-profit companies. These include Teen Help LLC, the marketing arm of WWASPS and the entity that processes admissions paperwork; Teen Escort Service, a teen escort company that transports teenagers to WWASPS facilities; R&B Billing, which does tuition billing and payment processing; and Premier Educational Systems, LLC, which conducts orientation and training workshops for parents whose children are in WWASPS facilities. WWASPS claims to have "helped" over 10,000 students with issues related to personal behavior. Some participants and parents give positive reports of their experiences, but others say that WWASPS programs were abusive. WWASPS has faced widespread allegations of physical and psychological abuse of the teenagers sent into its programs, resulting in a lawsuit filed against the organization in 2006. WWASPS officials report that the organization is no longer in business, and the facilities originally under it no longer associate with the name, but because of ongoing litigation, it has not been dissolved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tranquility Bay</span> Private residential youth educational and treatment facility

Tranquility Bay was a residential treatment facility affiliated with World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS), located in Calabash Bay, Saint Elizabeth Parish, Jamaica. The facility operated from 1997 to 2009 and received notoriety for its harsh and often abusive treatment of its students, eventually shutting down in 2009 after allegations of child abuse came to light through lawsuits and highly publicized student testimonies. The adolescents reported violence to their parents, only to be ignored.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pingry School</span> Private school in Somerset County, New Jersey, US

The Pingry School is a coeducational, independent, college preparatory country day school in New Jersey, with a Lower School (K–5) campus in the Short Hills neighborhood of Millburn, a Middle (6–8) and Upper School (9–12) campus in the Basking Ridge section of Bernards Township, and a campus for experiential learning in Pottersville. The school was founded in 1861 by John F. Pingry. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Synanon</span> 1958 California drug rehab program that turned into a 1970s cult

Synanon, originally known as Tender Loving Care, was a new religious movement founded in 1958 by Charles E. "Chuck" Dederich Sr. in Santa Monica, California, United States. Originally established as a drug rehabilitation program, Synanon developed into an alternative community centered on group truth-telling sessions that came to be known as the "Synanon Game", a form of attack therapy.

Ralph Atkin is the founder of SkyWest Airlines in the United States.

Hidden Lake Academy was a therapeutic boarding school in Dahlonega, Georgia, United States, in operation from 1994 until 2011. In 2006, it was the subject of legal action over accreditation. The school filed bankruptcy in 2009 and shut down in 2011.

Provo Canyon School (PCS) is a psychiatric youth involuntary residential treatment center in Provo, Utah, owned and operated by Universal Health Services (UHS) since 2000. The involuntary residential program claims to use an "Acuity Based Care" (ABC) model that identifies and re-assesses the strengths and needs of its students. Residents instead receive a wide range of interventions including psychotropic drug therapy; use of physical restraints; humiliation; starvation; and solitary confinement.

Old West Academy, formerly called Majestic Ranch Academy, is a therapeutic boarding school located in Randolph, Utah. Founded in 1986, it detains boys and girls with behavioral issues, ages 7 to 14.

Academy at Dundee Ranch was a behavior modification facility for United States teenagers, founded in 1991 and located at La Ceiba Cascajal, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) west of Orotina, province of Alajuela, Costa Rica. It was promoted as a residential school offering a program of behavior modification, motivational "emotional growth seminars", a progressive academic curriculum, and a structured daily schedule for teenagers struggling in their homes, schools, or communities.

Casa by the Sea was a private residential school/residential treatment center in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. It was operated by the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS) and primarily enrolled teenagers from the United States who had behavioral issues.

Spring Ridge Academy, was a behavioral health residential facility for female adolescents 13-17 years old. In 2023, Spring Ridge Academy announced on their website they had permanently closed.

Cross Creek Programs was a reform school facility in La Verkin, Utah, operated by the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS). It sometimes is referred to as two facilities, with the name Cross Creek Manor applied to the girls' program and the name Cross Creek Center used for the boys' program, which were originally in different locations. Cross Creek Academy and Browning Academy have been used as names for the academic program. Cross Creek Programs was founded in 1988 by Robert Lichfield and Brent Facer, originally only for girls. Before founding Cross Creek, Lichfield had worked at Provo Canyon School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CEDU</span> American private boarding school company

CEDU Educational Services, Inc., known simply as CEDU, was a company founded in 1967 by Mel Wasserman and associated with the troubled teen industry. The company owned and operated several therapeutic boarding schools licensed as group homes, wilderness therapy programs, and behavior modification programs in California and Idaho. The company's schools have faced numerous allegations of abuse. CEDU went out of business in 2005, amid lawsuits and state regulatory crackdowns.

A therapeutic boarding school is a residential school offering therapy for students with emotional or behavioral issues. The National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs listed 140 schools and programs as of 2005. Many therapeutic boarding schools in the United States have been connected to the abusive troubled teen industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Ridge Academy</span> Private school

West Ridge Academy, is a youth residential treatment center based in West Jordan, Utah, USA. It seeks to provide clinical services, education, and other programs for teens, both girls and boys, that are identified as at-risk. Until 2005, the Utah Boys Ranch was male-only. In early 2005, it opened new, separate facilities for girls and changed its name to West Ridge Academy. It is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation under the name Children and Youth Services, Inc. The academy states that it provides "quality clinical services, education, and experiences which promote spiritual awareness, personal accountability and change of heart." The facility has received criticism for past abusive practices toward residents, including facing lawsuits in 2008, 2010, and 2012 by former students. In 2016, the application to transition West Ridge Academy into a charter school, named Eagle Summit Academy, was approved by the Utah Board of Education after including caveats to keep public and private funding separate in the school's budgets and to ensure the safety of the new charter school's students.

Spring Creek Lodge Academy was a boarding school located in Thompson Falls, Montana. The school, formerly known as Spring Creek Community, was first opened in the 1970s by Nancy and Steve Cawdrey. In 1996, the school and the property were purchased by Cameron Pullan and Dan Peart and given the name Spring Creek Lodge Academy. For several years the school was associated with the Utah-based World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools. The school was opened as a place to address behavioral issues of young people from across the United States as well as motivate students for success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwest Accreditation Commission</span> University accreditation organization in the United States

The Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC), formerly named the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools, is a non-governmental organization that provides accreditation to educational institutions in the Northwestern United States. The Commission accredits K–12, elementary, middle, and high schools; those offering distance education; non- degree-granting postsecondary institutions; and special purpose, supplementary education, travel education, and trans-regional schools in seven states in the northwestern United States. Formerly an independent entity based in Boise, Idaho, it is now a division of AdvancED.

Robert Lichfield is the founder of World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools.

The troubled teen industry is a broad range of youth residential programs aimed at struggling teenagers. The term encompasses various facilities and programs, including youth residential treatment centers, wilderness programs, boot camps, and therapeutic boarding schools.

The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping is a 2024 American true crime documentary series, directed by Katherine Kubler. It follows Kubler and former classmates of hers from the Academy at Ivy Ridge, a behavior modification facility that was marketed as a boarding school, as they reflect on the abusive conditions they experienced in the program and the lasting trauma.

References

  1. ↑ Semple, Kirk (June 8, 2005). "Melee Keeps Spotlight on Hard Life at Academy". The New York Times .
  2. ↑ Bruening, Lexi (2024-03-06). "Netflix documentary recounts alleged abuse at old Ogdensburg-area school". wwnytv.com. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
  3. 1 2 In the Matter of the Academy at Ivy Ridge, Assurance of Discontinuance Pursuant to Executive Law Section 63, Subdivision 15 Archived December 12, 2006, at the Wayback Machine , Attorney General of the State of New York, Watertown Office, August 17, 2005
  4. 1 2 Ivy Ridge, home sold for $2.8m, Watertown Daily Times, April 25, 2009
  5. ↑ Tim Weiner, Parents, Shopping for Discipline, Turn to Harsh Programs Abroad, The New York Times , May 9, 2003
  6. ↑ Academy at Ivy Ridge Withdraws From World Wide Association of Specialty Programs & Schools, PRNewsWire
  7. ↑ Teen Help Specialty Boarding Schools website (accessed March 1, 2007)
  8. 1 2 3 Director: Ivy Ridge to close until fall, by Max R. Mitchell, Watertown Daily Times, March 12, 2009
  9. ↑ Melee Keeps Spotlight on Hard Life at Academy Semple, Kirk (8 June 2005). "Melee Keeps Spotlight on Hard Life at Academy - The New York Times". The New York Times .]
  10. ↑ "Buffalo News | buffalonews.com".
  11. ↑ Sommerstein, David. "St. Lawrence County DA investigating Ivy Ridge allegations from documentary". NCPR. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  12. ↑ "Utah man sues over Netflix's 'The Program,' saying its portrayal of his 'troubled teen' career defamed him". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2024-06-27.
  13. ↑ "Academy at Ivy Ridge". WWASP Survivors. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  14. ↑ "Watch The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping | Netflix Official Site". www.netflix.com. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  15. ↑ See In the Matter of the Academy at Ivy Ridge, Assurance of Discontinuance Pursuant to Executive Law Section 63, Subdivision 15 Archived December 12, 2006, at the Wayback Machine , Attorney General of the State of New York, Watertown Office, August 17, 2005, and School for Troubled Youth to Issue Tuition Refunds Archived 2007-08-19 at the Wayback Machine , Office of the State Attorney General, press release, Albany, NY, August 18, 2005.
  16. ↑ Ivy Ridge Academy accreditation rejected, News Watch 50 WWTI TV
  17. ↑ Boise accreditation firm questioned by Ami Joi Bryson, Deseret Morning News, April 27, 2005.
  18. ↑ Judge refuses to toss suit filed in 2006, Watertown Daily Times, April 25, 2009


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.