DeSisto School
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The DeSisto School may refer to either the DeSisto at Stockbridge School, or the DeSisto at Howey School, founded by Michael DeSisto.
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[edit] History
[edit] Beginnings
DeSisto at Stockbridge School was founded in 1978. It was conceived of as a therapeutic boarding school for teens who had problems in traditional school settings. It was created on The Berkshires campus of the old Stockbridge School in Massachusetts near Tanglewood and the Stockbridge Bowl.
In 1980 DeSisto opened a second campus in Howey-in-the-Hills Florida named the DeSisto at Howey School. DeSisto originally envisioned a string of schools nationally and internationally based on the principles of Gestalt Psychology, and his own therapeutic model. The DeSisto School would develop a reputation as the place that celebrities, the rich, and political elites could send their children who had difficulty at living at home, and functioning in traditional secondary school environments.
[edit] Controversies
Quite early on, it would have problems from the state Department of Education which withdrew its accreditation after questions arose about the school's treatment of "special needs" students. The school sued in 1983, and won back its accreditation.
In 1986, the DeSisto School received national attention with the case of Heather Burdick, from Old Bridge, New Jersey, who was sent to the Stockbridge campus, and ran away from the school after only a few weeks. A group of parents from Burdick's hometown sought to sue The DeSisto School for illegally detaining Heather, but the action failed. The DeSisto School subsequently successfully counter-sued, and after $550,000 in legal expenses was awarded $41,000 for damages.
The DeSisto at Howey School was not without its problems either. The DeSisto School sued Howey-in-the-Hills over zoning issues related to the incipient DeSisto College. The town of Howey-in-the-Hills was awarded $203,279.27 in attorney fees and $17,194.12 in costs. The case of DeSisto College, Inc. v. Town of Howey-in-the-Hills, 718 F.Supp. 906 (M.D.Fla. 1989), is often cited and used as a case study where the plaintiff's claim is frivolous because it has no basis in law, the plaintiff rejects any reasonable offer to settle, the trial court dismisses the case without trial, and the plaintiff does not offer any novel legal theories. On November 15, 1988 The Boston Globe reported that Michael DeSisto and The DeSisto School had been sued 23 times for breach of contract and fraud.
Author Roger Kahn, in the last chapter of his book Into My Own (2006), describes the negative experiences he had with DeSisto and the school's family therapy workshops he attended in 1979 with his son, who committed suicide in 1987.
[edit] Demise
The DeSisto at Howey School closed in 1988, due to declining enrollment, and legal problems with the local government. Following a long legal fight with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts over licensing, allegations of child abuse, a state imposed enrollment freeze, and accusations of failing to create a safe environment for its students, the DeSisto at Stockbridge School chose to close in June 2004.
The DeSisto at Stockbridge School was renamed The Cold Spring Academy, and opened a campus in Sarasota, Florida. The Cold Spring Academy permanently closed in 2005.
[edit] Noteworthy Alumni
- David Safavian Former G.W. Bush administration official
- Kathryn Erbe American television and film actress
- Anthony Papp Jewelry Designer
