Élan School

Coordinates: 44°00′29″N 70°23′10″W / 44.008°N 70.386°W / 44.008; -70.386
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Élan School
Location
Map
Poland
,
Maine
04274

United States
Coordinates44°00′29″N 70°23′10″W / 44.008°N 70.386°W / 44.008; -70.386
Information
TypePrivate therapeutic boarding school
Opened1970
Closed2011
Grades8–12
Age range13–18+
AffiliationsNATSAP
Websiteelanschool.com at the Wayback Machine (archive index)

Élan School was a private, coeducational, and controversial residential behavior modification program and therapeutic boarding school in Poland, Androscoggin County, Maine. It was a full member of the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP). The facility was closed down on April 1, 2011, due to reports of abuse, many from former students, dating back to its opening in 1970.[1]

Élan was located on a 33-acre (13 ha) campus[2] that was formerly a hunting lodge.[3] There were also other campuses, such as the one on 424 Maplecrest Road in Parsonsfield, Maine, which was formerly a hotel and hospital before it was bought by Élan in 1975. This campus was known to have some of the worst abuse in the school's history, and has been said to have been put out of use sometime in the 1980s.[4]

The school acquired some notoriety during the 1990s and early 2000s when former classmates of Michael Skakel, who had attended Élan in the 1970s, testified against him in his trial for an unsolved murder that had occurred about two years before he enrolled at Élan.[5] The school was also the subject of persistent allegations of abuse in their behavioral modification program.[6][7]

History

Élan School was founded in 1970 by psychiatrist Gerald Davidson, investor David Goldberg, and Joseph Ricci, a former heroin addict who had worked with young people in drug-treatment facilities[8] (and who in 1979 would become owner of the Scarborough Downs racetrack).[9] Ricci headed the school until his death in 2001, when his widow Sharon Terry took over.[10][7] Maine politician Bill Diamond served as its Director of Governmental Relations.[11]

Program

In the school's program, described as "controversial",[7] 'humiliation' was identified as a therapeutic tool, as was following up on such intervention with encouragement and warm support. Students attended year-round.[12] In 2002, a New Jersey educational consultant who had referred students to Élan for 22 years told The New York Times that he would refer only "the most serious cases" to the school, which he said would "take kids who haven't responded to other programs and who are really out of control."[7]

The school's treatment methods were based on the "TC" or therapeutic community modality popularized in the 1960s at facilities such as Synanon, and later at Daytop Village.[13]

In 2002, a New Jersey educational consultant told The New York Times that the school was "certainly not for the faint-hearted." He said "There's lots of confrontation, ... and yet there are lots of hugs."[7] Accounts of former students include mentions of physical and mental abuse, including degrading tasks such as "[sessions] of cleaning urinals with a toothbrush that can last for hours" and up to the point of critical malnourishment.[7]

Controversies

Throughout its history, the school was faced with numerous allegations of student maltreatment. In 2001, Details magazine cited Élan as "among the most controversial of the nation's residential therapeutic communities."[14]

In 1975, Illinois state officials removed 11 children from the Élan program, alleging mistreatment.[2]

In the late 1970s, Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office Lieutenant Max Ashburn visited the school after repeatedly hearing rumors of abuse, but the staff did not allow him entry into the school past the lobby.[15] Following this, he began keeping a file in which he documented names and phone numbers related to Élan, as well as reported abuses.[15]

In 2002 during the trial of Michael Skakel, an Élan alumnus, witnesses testified that beatings and public humiliation were parts of life at Élan during the late 1970s.[2] In trial testimony, former students also described the practice of placing a student in a "boxing ring" surrounded by classmates who confronted the student.[16][17] The New York Times has reported that, at the school, "smiling without permission can lead to a session of cleaning urinals with a toothbrush that can last for hours."[7]

The New York State Education Department, which has paid tuition for special education students to attend Élan School, gave the school a favorable review in 2005.[18] In 2007, however, New York education officials raised questions about the school's practices, alleging in a letter to the school and Maine education officials that Élan students were physically restraining their peers and being deprived of sleep. The allegations prompted the state of New York to threaten to withdraw tuition money for taxpayer-funded students. The school's lawyer contested the allegations.[2]

In March 2016, Maine State Police announced they had opened a cold case investigation into the death of former Élan resident Phil Williams, who died on December 27, 1982, after participating in Élan's "ring," where students were forced to fight each other as a means of behavior modification. The State Police later announced no charges would be filed as a result of their investigation, citing insufficient evidence.[19][20][21]

Runaways

Students would occasionally run away from Élan.[15] Former Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office Captain Ray Lafrance stated that Élan would send groups in vans to search for and return runaways, and noted that the school only called police to report missing students as a last resort.[15] Lafrance said some runaways would be relieved to be found after spending nights in the woods, though others "were scared to death to go back to Élan. If we really felt they were really scared, we'd bring them into the department, call their parents and at least let them know what's going on. Then we'd call Élan and they'd come pick them up."[15]

In 1979, Lt. Max Ashburn was called by a local family to pick up a 16-year-old Élan runaway.[15] The boy had been a student at Élan for several months, and said that his parents lived in another state.[15] Ashburn recalled in 2016 that the boy "was crying, and he was begging me not to take him back";[15] rather than return him to the school, Ashburn, a former truck driver, took the boy to a local diner, and instructed him to hitch a ride with one of the truck drivers there.[15]

In July 1990, 15-year-old runaway Brad Glickman of Bedford, New York, visited the home of Todd and Audrey Blaylock in Norway, Maine, after meeting one of Audrey Blaylock's daughters.[22] Glickman told those he met that his name was David Smith.[22] Roy O'Hara, a resident at the house, was handling a revolver when it discharged, fatally shooting Glickman in the head.[22] O'Hara was found guilty of manslaughter that November.[15]

On March 21, 1993, 17-year-old student Dawn Marie Birnbaum ran away from Élan during a school outing.[15][23] On March 24, she was found dead in a snowbank near Interstate 80.[15][23] 36-year-old James Robert Cruz Jr. was charged with the first-degree murder of Birnbaum, and sentenced to life in prison.[23]

Closure

On March 23, 2011, Élan School announced it would be closing on April 1, 2011.[24] The school's owner, Sharon Terry, blamed "declining enrollment and resulting financial difficulties," as well as negative attacks on the school via the Internet. In a letter to the Lewiston Sun-Journal, Terry said: "The school has been the target of harsh and false attacks spread over the Internet with the avowed purpose of forcing the school to close." She added that "the school has, unfortunately, been unable to survive the damage."[1]

In film

Élan was featured in Children of Darkness, a documentary film shot in 1983 that explored the experiences of emotionally troubled youth and the various residences and institutions that housed them.

A documentary chronicling the school's history and impact titled The Last Stop was released in 2017. The film was directed by an Élan graduate and included interviews from various residents and professionals including Maia Szalavitz.[25][26]

Notable alumni

  • Tiffany Sedaris, artist, and sister of Amy Sedaris and David Sedaris. Tiffany's two years at Élan are cited in her siblings' writings and interviews as deeply traumatic to her, and a direct cause of her inability to form normal relationships with her family members. After decades of struggling with mental illness, Tiffany ultimately died by suicide in May 2013.[27][28]
  • Michael Skakel, convicted in the murder of Martha Moxley. The case drew media attention largely because Skakel is related to the Kennedy family.[5]
  • Ben Weasel, of the punk rock band Screeching Weasel.[13]
  • Phil Williams Jr. died at age 15, after being forced to participate in the school's notorious boxing-ring punishment.[29][30][31]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Elan School closing after Web campaign to shut it down". Sunjournal.com. 23 March 2011. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Wack, Kevin (2007-03-25). "New York seeks change at Elan School". Portland Press Herald. Archived from the original on 2021-11-17. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 2008-12-04 suggested (help)
  3. ^ "Elan Alumni". Elanalum.org. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  4. ^ "Elan Parsonsfield". local history matters.blogspot.com. March 2020. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  5. ^ a b Kennedy, Robert F. Jr. (1 January 2003). "A Miscarriage of Justice". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 7 October 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  6. ^ "Good News: Bad Economy Killing Abusive Teen Programs". HuffPost. 30 January 2009. Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g St. John, Warren (2 June 2002). "Skeletons in the Classroom". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 16 December 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  8. ^ Dwight F. Blint (February 15, 2000). "JOSEPH RICCI'S CAREER AND CONTROVERSY". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  9. ^ Karen Vachon. "About Scarborough Downs". Scarborough Downs official website. Archived from the original on February 13, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  10. ^ "The #1 Source for Domain Names". Archived from the original on 2018-02-10.
  11. ^ Skelton, Kathryn; Tice, Lindsay (13 March 2016). "His family asks: What really happened to Phil at the Elan School?". Sun Journal. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  12. ^ Kastuck, Edwin (2002-09-02). "Basic School Approval Report Pertaining to the Elan School". MuckRock. Maine Department of Education. Archived from the original on 2019-12-23. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
  13. ^ a b DeRogatis, Jim (2001). "Screeching Halt". SPIN Magazine. 17 (3). SPIN Media LLC: 124. Archived from the original on 2021-09-27. Retrieved 2020-11-23.
  14. ^ "Bad Company: The Elan School." Details Magazine, [1] Archived 2010-12-07 at the Wayback Machine, November 2001.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Skelton, Kathryn; Tice, Lindsay (March 20, 2016). "The day 'Officer Smiley' helped a boy escape from the Elan School". Sun Journal. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  16. ^ "Classmate: Skakel unsure of role". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. 2002-05-07. Archived from the original on 2021-11-17.
  17. ^ "Moxley case puts school's methods on trial". marthamoxley.com. Archived from the original on 14 September 2000. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  18. ^ Special Education Quality Assurance Nondistrict Program Review: Final Report, Élan School Archived 2008-05-09 at the Wayback Machine, New York State Education Department / The University of the State of New York, November 2, 2005; archived on Élan School website, accessed February 21, 2010
  19. ^ "His family asks: What really happened to Phil at the Elan School? | Sun Journal". www.sunjournal.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  20. ^ "Police looking into 33-year-old death at Elan School". Seattle Times. 2016-03-15. Archived from the original on 2021-11-17. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
  21. ^ Skelton, Kathryn (21 October 2016). "State police: Elan student's death investigation continues". Sunjournal.com. Archived from the original on 23 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  22. ^ a b c Ackley, Lisa Williams (February 8, 1992). "Roy O'Hara guilty on manslaughter". Sun Journal. Lewiston, Maine. p. 34. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  23. ^ a b c "Ohio trucker gets life for killing Gary runaway". The Times of Northwest Indiana. June 15, 1994. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  24. ^ Rose, Brittany. "This Boarding School of Horrors in Poland, Maine Only Shut Down a Decade Ago". Q97.9. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
  25. ^ "Elan film debuts at Emerge Film Festival | Sun Journal". www.sunjournal.com. Archived from the original on 30 April 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  26. ^ "The Last Stop (2017)". IMDb.com. 29 April 2017. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  27. ^ Bailey, Blake. "David Sedaris Talks About Surviving the Suicide of a Sibling." Vice, https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/7bdvdg/remarkable-messes-0000671-v22n6 Archived 2019-11-23 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed September 24, 2020.
  28. ^ Sedaris, David (21 October 2013). "Now We Are Five". The New Yorker. No. October 28, 2013. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2022. Tiffany [...] was subsequently sent to a disciplinary institution in Maine called Élan. According to what she told us later, it was a horrible place. She returned home in 1980, having spent two years there
  29. ^ Skelton, Kathryn and Tice, Lindsay. "His family asks: What really happened to Phil at the Elan School?" Archived 2019-09-22 at the Wayback Machine, Sun Journal, March 13, 2016.
  30. ^ "Police looking into 33-year-old death at Elan School". The Seattle Times. 15 March 2016. Retrieved 2022-08-04.
  31. ^ Staff, National Desk (3 August 2022), Video shows 80-year-old store owner shooting attempted robbery suspect – via www.wmtw.com

External links

Further reading

  • Maura Curley (1991), Duck in a Raincoat, Menuki Press. ISBN 0-9629522-0-6. An unauthorized biography of the founder of the Élan School, Joe Ricci.
  • Eva Pappas (2006), The Other Son – One Family's Personal War on Drugs, Lagrimas & Clean Slate Publishers Group, ISBN 978-0-9777187-1-9. Describes Élan's program under a fictitious name.
  • Maia Szalavitz (2006), Help at Any Cost, Riverhead. ISBN 1-59448-910-6. A former senior fellow of the Statistical Assessment Service at George Mason University offers a thoroughly researched critique of the troubled-teen industry, which includes an ethical guide for parents with troubled teenagers.
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