Hidden Lake Academy

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Hidden Lake Academy (HLA) is a therapeutic boarding school in Dahlonega, Georgia.

Contents

[edit] History

According to the school's website, "Hidden Lake Academy was founded in 1994 by Dr. Len Buccellato in response to the overwhelming need for a specialty school to fill the gap between services of residential treatment centers and traditional boarding schools."

[edit] Population

[edit] Students

Students come in as people who have trouble with homework, self-mutilation, depression, anger management, or various addictions. Most of the students are diagnosed with ODD. Students are from international backgrounds, but very few are not from the United States. The student population often ranges from about 150 to 200 students. HLA is SACS-accredited. The school boasts a 96% college acceptance rate, but a mere 38% student retention rate. The staff mostly recommend that the students attend small colleges.

[edit] Staff

Staff are largely ex-military, locals, or students at North Georgia College and State University. Gene Ruyle was a drama teacher at Hidden Lake Academy.

[edit] Alumni Groups

Ginger and Bill Warbis own the "Fornits' Home for Wayword Web Fora", where they host a message board for HLA alumni. Although the board is geared toward alumni, ex-staff and parents of former students also post there. They are all mostly critical of the school. Hidden Lake Academy's representative law firm Quirk & Quirk has sent several letters to the Warbises, asking them to remove postings of certain posters, including a former teacher. Quirk & Quirk even initiated a John Doe lawsuit against one poster, in order to incite him to agree to remove his postings. As most of the students are critics of HLA, HLA started its own heavily moderated message board for its supporters. Other alumni groups include "HLA Survivors" and "Hidden Lake Academy", both of them on Myspace. "HLA Survivors" is a small and mostly inactive group mostly run by HLA critics. "Hidden Lake Academy" is a more traditional alumni group, where alumni try to reconnect and talk about where people went with their lives.

[edit] Levels and Peer Groups

Peer groups, the school's method of Group Therapy groups, start with about 14 students and 2 counselors. Students arrive at all times during the school year. Until 14 students have arrived to form a Peer Group, the students' time at the school does not count and a department known as Intake is responsible for them. Peer Groups are often merged when they have substantially shrunk from their original size. Like other institutions dedicated to modifying behaviors, Hidden Lake Academy puts students through different levels. HLA does not base its levels on progress (with certain exceptions), but time spent; each PG progresses through different levels. The levels are known as Elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Galaxy. In the past, the program has ranged from 18-28 months; their website states that their programs now run 18-21 months. Those that do not progress according to HLA's standards are dropped into a newer PG or sent to Ridge Creek temporarily. Postgraduates whom parents wish to stay extra time used to be known as a sixth element (Universe), but are now dropped into other peer groups.

[edit] Ridge Creek

Ridge Creek is a 26-day wilderness-based program owned by Hidden Lake Academy. Two types of students attend Ridge Creek:

a) HLA Students--HLA students are often sent to Ridge Creek as an alternative method of encouraging them to progress therapeutically. When they come back to HLA, they are expected to make up their schoolwork. Other students are sent to Ridge Creek as a reward because they enjoy it.
b) Nationals--Some students are sent to Ridge Creek for its own wilderness program's sake. If the program does not help them progress to their parents' expectations, they may be sent to HLA or on to other wilderness and/or therapy programs.

[edit] Support

Supporters of Hidden Lake Academy claim there are large positive changes in the behavior of students from their arrival until their departure. Strugglingteens.com, a website which provides information to parents of at-risk youth, has published various supportive material by impressed educational consultants. One parent, Beth Wright, wrote a letter to the Dahlonega Nugget praising HLA's assistance to her child [1].

[edit] GA General Assembly Resolution 966

On March 19, 2004 the Georgia General Assembly adopted a resolution by Senator Carol Jackson commending Hidden Lake Academy for its "contributions to education in the State of Georgia."[2]

[edit] Criticism

[edit] ISAC Watch List

The International Survivors Action Committee (ISAC), a non-profit organization dedicated to investigating abusive treatment centers, "has received complaints alleging physical and emotional abuse, hazing, unprofessional conduct, unqualified staff, poor supervision of students, and an atmosphere that promotes bullying of younger and/or smaller students." and lists Hidden Lake Academy on its official watch list.[3]

[edit] Mountain Brook Academy Controversy

Hidden Lake Academy, as reported in one issue of the "Lakeside Reflections", the school paper, has been planning to build a sister school which would be called Mountain Brook Academy. HLA requested a somewhat controversial 10-year tax abatement for MBA to the Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners. Many people announced that they were opposed to this including the pastor of the influential local United Methodist Church, Rev. Jeff Ross. Former professor and US Army Colonel Billy Wells, who is in charge of North Georgia College and State University's leadership initiative, was also strongly opposed to the abatement and voiced his concerns in the local paper, The Dahlonega Nugget:
Our property taxes support our children's schools. They support roads like the one the county apparently paved for you at Hidden Lake. If you are so interested in giving, then why can you not give your fair share of taxes like everyone else? Are the children of Lumpkin County not important to you...The public deserves some clear answers ... not Madison Avenue ads, spin and pressure tactics.
As far as providing jobs for current residents, an analysis of your Web site indicates that 60 percent of your academically-credentialed staff, those who make the best salaries, originally came from out of state. Probably even more came from out of the county. Also, do you plan to construct additional faculty housing so employees do not have to pay property taxes? I suspect you will create jobs ... and then bring in the people to fill them.[4]

While debating his point that HLA did not deserve an abatement, Wells even questioned HLA's legality as an institution:

I was happy to hear that there will be no guard towers or barbed wire. But why are the dorm "windows" fake? Why is this new group subject to being physically detained unlike current students? Without a court order, what is the legal basis of doing so with a juvenile beyond the age of 16?[5]

Jeff Holloway, the Assistant Headmaster of HLA who's appointed to be the Executive Director of MBA, attempted to defend the requested abatements:

Contrary to some comments, tax incentives to bring in new businesses is not new to Lumpkin County, with two other companies having arranged similar agreements with the county when it had foresight to help our economy grow...If we move to another county, Lumpkin will be out jobs, tax revenue and tourism from our parents. [6]

In the end, the Board Commissioners were unable to come to an agreement with HLA and the latter was forced to consider other avenues to explore to save money for MBA.

[edit] 2006 Lawsuit

This article documents a current event.
Information may change rapidly as the event progresses.

On September 11, 2006 several plaintiffs filed a federal class action lawsuit against HLA and Len Buccellato on behalf of students who attended the school since January 1, 2000. The case is "JR, RR, DM, RB, and on behalf of others similarly situated vs. Hidden Lake Academy, Inc; HLA, Inc.; Hidden Lake Foundation, Inc.; and Dr. Leonard Buccellato." The plaintiffs are clients of Berger & Montague and are represented by Gorby, Reeves, and Peters. According to Berger & Montague's website, the plaintiffs charge that HLA "employed a number of uncertified teachers and unqualified counseling staff; did not employ at times any licensed learning disability specialist or a registered or properly licensed nurse; allowed unlicensed staff such as secretaries to dispense to students prescription medication; enrolled a number court-ordered, violent and severely disturbed children; and overbilled families for a number of items and incidental charges, among other things." These are notably common criticisms among HLA students. HLA defense attorney Martin Quirk responded by saying that it was the result of parents who, after withdrawing their children, were unhappy with not being able to get a refund for the school's tuition HLA defense attorney Martin Quirk said that it was the result of parents who, after withdrawing their children, were unhappy with not being able to get a refund for the school's tuition.[7]. Len Buccellato responded with a letter to parents and consultants stating that "the feelings of the staff at the meetings we have had have ranged from pain as deep as mine to absolute rage that anyone could say those things in light of the countless numbers of students and families we have worked with whose lives have been put back on a positive and productive track...we have been advised by counsel not to comment on the specific allegations at this point and to allow our attorneys respond to the allegations in due course." Matt Aiken, a former staff member at HLA, wrote a front page article about the lawsuit in the local newspaper, the Dahlonega Nugget. Various letters to the editor were later published. Diane Stephenson, a local laywoman highly involved in the Unitarian Universalist Church, wrote of HLA's various contributions to the local community [8]. Reverend Barry Bailey, who often visits the school to teach students about Native American spirituality, wrote a letter about how "[the article]...conveniently forgot that Hidden Lake is a last chance boarding academy that offers objectively-defined teenagers an alternative to prison. Such a school is inherent with risks and the possibility of violence and retaliation." [9] Charles Cates also responded to the article, mentioning that HLA is "considered the premier institute in this area and has a high success rate...[and the lawsuit] apparently relies on erroneous information provided by disgruntled ex-employees." [10] Clarke Poole also sent a letter to the editor.[11] Poole was once the Senior Admissions Coordinator at HLA. He became concerned about the admission of students whom he felt to be dangerous and voiced his concerns to his colleagues. He felt that his "concerns were dismissed and I was routinely admonished for raising them. In February 2006, when I was denied a meeting with school management to address issues of grave concern related to the safety of students, it was ethically incumbent upon me to resign."[12] In his letter to the Nugget, besides outlining his record of involvement with the school, he also attempted to dispel rumors that he was the Admissions Director (as opposed to the Coordinator) and that he was involved with the lawsuit. More recently, HLA replied to the lawsuit, requesting that it be dismissed by the court and filed a counterclaim claiming that the plaintiffs should be obligated to reimburse the school for losses incurred by it's involvement in the lawsuit. [13].

[edit] HLA's Response to Criticism

[edit] On the Internet

Hidden Lake Academy has received a considerable degree of criticism on the internet. On April 24, 2006 a representative from HLA's law firm Quirk & Quirk, Joseph Farell, sent out a letter to parents of HLA students in response. He stated that his purpose in the letter was "to offer you a legal explanation why HLA is hesitant to take legal action against those who defame the School over the Internet."

The next day, HLA Headmaster Charles Cates sent out the following letter to educational consultants and parents of HLA students:

Dear parents and consultants,
You have recently received a letter that HLA asked our school attorney to write explaining our position on certain blogg sites that are derogatory, vulgar and down right libelous to HLA. These anonymous sites make it easy for anyone to write what they want with no regard to truth or civility. We have taken legal action where we can but as you can see from the attorney letter, there is only so much we can do.
I would direct your attention to several other web sites- www.hlaboards.com and www.discusshla.com. These websites are designed to present an honest view of HLA. They are designed for parents, students and alumni to communicate in an honest and genuine way. I hope you find these resources helpful.
Charles W Cates, PhD
Headmaster
Hidden Lake Academy

Various members of the Fornits' community responded to both letters. It should be noted that both links mentioned by Dr. Cates link to the school's official message board.

[edit] To Parents

Hidden Lake Academy has also attempted to rebuttle criticism from parents. Recently, the Department of Family and Children Services investigated the school and Dr. Cates sent out the following letter:

Dear Parents,
Before the HLA rumor mill kicks in full force, I wanted you to hear directly from me. Occasionally, we have a disgruntled parent who has withdrawn their child contact The Department of Family and Children Services. The Department is required to investigate. Today, DEFACS interviewed several students at HLA. This will undoubtedly be a subject of your student phone calls. The Department of Family and Children Services are not required to tell us about the complaint or who has made the complaint. I do not have further information to share but I did not want you to be overly alarmed by your student phone call. I just wanted you to know that this had occurred so that you heard it from HLA first.
I hope you all know that providing a safe therapeutic and academic environment is our number one priority.
If you have any questions or concerns please call the school.


Charles W Cates, PhD
Headmaster
Hidden Lake Academy

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Letter to the Editor: "HLA Did What I Could Not Do" by Beth Wright
  2. ^ GA General Assembly Resolution 966
  3. ^ ISAC Watch List and ISAC's documentation of HLA.
  4. ^ Billy Wells' letter to the editor: "Public deserves clear answers about HLA expansion"
  5. ^ Billy Wells' letter to the editor: "What's Hidden other than the Lake?"
  6. ^ Jeff Holloway's letter to the editor: "Faith in system shaken in 2005"
  7. ^ The Dahlonega Nugget's front page article about the lawsuit.
  8. ^ Letter to the Editor: "The Other Side of the Story: The Good HLA Does" by Diane Stephenson
  9. ^ Letter to the Editor: "Hidden Lake Needs Community Support" by Rev. Barry Bailey
  10. ^ Letter to the Editor: "Do Not Judge School Based on Story, Suit" by Charles Cates
  11. ^ Letter to the Editor: "I am Not a Disgruntled HLA Ex-Employee" by Clarke Poole
  12. ^ ibid.
  13. ^ Response to Lawsuit

[edit] External links

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