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Élan School

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Élan School was an abusive behavior modification program and therapeutic boarding school located in Poland, Maine. It was a full member of the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP) and was considered to be a part of the troubled teen industry. The facility was closed down on April 1, 2011, due to multiple reports of abuse, many from former students, dating back to its opening in 1970.[1]

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
Closed1 April 2011
Grades8–12
Age range13–18+
AffiliationsNATSAP
Websiteelanschool.com at the Wayback Machine (archive index)

The Élan School was located on a 33-acre (13 ha) campus[2] in south Poland that was formerly a hunting lodge.[3] There were also other campuses, such as the one on 424 Maplecrest Road in Parsonsfield, 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 was put out of use sometime in the 1980s.[4]

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

Background and history

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Élan School was founded in 1970 by Joseph Ricci, a former heroin addict who had worked with young people in drug treatment facilities,[8] along with psychiatrist Dr. Gerald Davidson and investor David Goldberg.[9] Ricci headed the school until his death on January 29, 2001 due to lung cancer, when his widow Sharon Terry took over.[7] In 1974, Élan 1 was damaged by a fire with damages estimated as $100,000.[10] Maine politician Bill Diamond served as the school's Director of Governmental Relations.[11]

Program

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In the school's controversial[7] program, "humiliation" was identified as a therapeutic tool, as was following up on such intervention with encouragement and warm support. Students attended year-round.[12] The school's treatment methods were based on the "therapeutic community" or TC modality popularized in the 1960s at facilities such as Synanon, and later at Daytop Village.[13]

In 2002, a New Jersey educational consultant who had referred students to Élan for twenty-two 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." and 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

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Throughout its history, the Élan 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 eleven 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]

The New York State Education Department, which had paid tuition for special education students to attend Élan School, gave the school a favorable review in 2005.[16] 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]

Skakel and Moxley case

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On the evening of October 30, 1975, in Greenwich, Connecticut, 15-year-old Martha Moxley left with friends to participate in "mischief night", in which neighborhood youths would ring doorbells and pull pranks such as toilet papering houses. According to friends, Moxley began flirting with, and eventually kissed, Thomas Skakel, the older brother of 15-year-old Michael Skakel. Moxley was last seen "falling together behind the fence" with Thomas, near the pool in the Skakel backyard, at around 9:30 p.m.[17] The next day, Moxley's corpse was found beneath a tree in her family's backyard. Her pants and underwear were pulled down, but she had not been sexually assaulted. Pieces of a broken six-iron golf club were found near the body. An autopsy indicated that she had been both bludgeoned and stabbed with the club, which was traced back to the Skakel residence.

Michael Skakel's trial began on May 7, 2002, in Norwalk. Two former students from Élan, where Skakel received treatment for alcoholism, testified they heard Skakel confess to killing Moxley with a golf club. One of the former students, Gregory Coleman, testified that Skakel was given special privileges and had bragged, "I'm going to get away with murder. I'm a Kennedy."[18][19] Furthermore,[20] witnesses testified that beatings and public humiliation were parts of life at Élan during the late-1970s.[2][21] In trial testimony, former students also described the practice of placing a student in a "boxing ring" surrounded by classmates who confronted the student.[22][23] 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] On June 7, 2002, Skakel was found guilty of murdering Moxley and was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.[24]

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  • 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.[25] Glickman told those he met that his name was "David Smith".[25] Roy O'Hara, a resident at the house, was handling a revolver when it discharged, fatally shooting Glickman in the heart.[25] O'Hara was found guilty of manslaughter that November; however, the verdict would be partially overturned in 1993.[15][26]
  • On March 21, 1993, 17-year-old student Dawn Marie Birnbaum ran away from Élan during a school outing.[15][27] On March 24, she was found dead in a snowbank near Interstate 80 having been raped and murdered by a trucker while hitchhiking back home.[15][27] 36-year-old James Robert Cruz Jr. was charged with the first-degree murder of Birnbaum, and sentenced to life in prison.[27]
  • After decades of struggling with mental illness, 49-year-old Tiffany Joyce Sedaris died by suicide on May 24, 2013. Sedaris was the sister of Amy Sedaris and David Sedaris. Tiffany's two years at Élan were 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 and other people.[28][29]
  • In March 2016, Maine State Police announced they had opened a cold case investigation into the death of 15-year-old 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.[11][30] Williams had been punished for talking back to staff and was beaten so badly that he died of a "brain aneurysm". The State Police later announced no charges would be filed as a result of their investigation, citing insufficient evidence.[31][11][30][32]

Runaways

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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, Lieutenant 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]

Closure

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On March 23, 2011, the Élan School announced it would be closing on April 1, 2011.[33] The school's owner, Sharon Terry, blamed "declining enrollment and resulting financial difficulties," as well as negative attacks on the school via the Internet backlash. In a letter to the Lewiston Sun-Journal, Terry said: "The school has been the target of harsh and false attacks spread over Reddit and the internet with the avowed purpose of forcing the school to be closed."[1]

On November 17, 2024, a fire destroyed a building on the property of the former Élan School.[34]

In media

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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.[35][36][37] Élan is the main location for the events in Joe versus Elan School, a web-based graphic novel.[38][39]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Meyer, Judith (23 March 2011). "Elan School closing after Web campaign to shut it down". Sun Journal. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Wack, Novi (2007-03-25). "New York seeks change at Elan School". Portland Press Herald. Archived from the original on 2008-12-04.
  3. ^ "Elan Alumni". Elanalum.org. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  4. ^ "Elan Parsonsfield". Local History Matters. Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society. 1 March 2020. Archived from the original on 7 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  5. ^ 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. ^ Szalavitz, Maia (30 January 2009). "Good News: Bad Economy Killing Abusive Teen Programs". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d e f 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. ^ "Suffer the Little Children". Suzuki's Thoughts. Archived from the original on 2023-08-15. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  9. ^ Blint, Dwight F. (February 15, 2000). "Joseph Ricci's Career and Controversy". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  10. ^ Written at Sebago, Maine. "Fire Levels Drug Center Damage Set at $100,000". Evening Express. Portland, Maine. 1974-01-08. p. 12. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  11. ^ a b c 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 (2002-09-03). "Basic School Approval Report Pertaining to the Elan School". Maine Department of Education. Archived from the original on 2019-12-23. Retrieved 2021-11-17 – via MuckRock.
  13. ^ 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. ^ Gray, Kevin (November 2001). "Bad Company: The Elan School" (PDF). Details. pp. 88–97. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-07. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  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. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  16. ^ 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
  17. ^ Cameron, David R. (22 April 2013). "Many still ask: Who killed Martha Moxley?". Hartford Courant. Opinion. Archived from the original on October 1, 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  18. ^ "Probable Cause hearing transcript" (PDF). Marthamoxley.com. p. 83. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 12, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  19. ^ Geringer, Joseph. "The Martha Moxley Murder — The Trial: Superior Court Weighs Trial Agenda". TruTV Crime Library. TruTV. Archived from the original on August 31, 2009. Retrieved 2013-10-24.
  20. ^ "Ex-Head of Suspect's School Won't Testify in '75 Murder Case". The New York Times. 1998-09-25. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-04-20. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  21. ^ Corasaniti, Nick; Joseph, Yonette (24 October 2013). "Timeline of the Skakel Case". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2016-07-20. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  22. ^ "Classmate: Skakel unsure of role". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Associated Press. 2002-05-07. Archived from the original on 2021-11-17.
  23. ^ MacQuarrie, Brian; Higgins, A.J. (3 July 2000). "Moxley case puts school's methods on trial". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 14 September 2000. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  24. ^ Christoffersen, John (April 26, 2013). "Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel slams lawyer during murder conviction appeal". NBCNews.com. NBC News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  25. ^ a b c Ackley, Lisa Williams (February 8, 1992). "Roy O'Hara guilty on manslaughter". Sun Journal. Lewiston, Maine. p. 34. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  26. ^ State v. O'Hara, 627 A.2d 1001 (Maine Supreme Judicial Court 28 May 1993), archived from the original.
  27. ^ a b c "Ohio trucker gets life for killing Gary runaway". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Associated Press. June 15, 1994. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  28. ^ Bailey, Blake (2015-06-02). "David Sedaris Talks About Surviving the Suicide of a Sibling". Vice. Archived from the original on 2019-11-23. Retrieved 2024-10-25.
  29. ^ Sedaris, David (21 October 2013). "Now We Are Five". The New Yorker. Condé Nast (published October 28, 2013). 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
  30. ^ a b "Police looking into 33-year-old death at Elan School". Seattle Times. Associated Press. 2016-03-15. Archived from the original on 2021-11-17. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
  31. ^ Skelton, Kathryn (21 October 2016). "State police: Elan student's death investigation continues". Sun Journal. Archived from the original on 23 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  32. ^ "Video shows 80-year-old store owner shooting attempted robbery suspect". WMTW. 2 August 2022. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  33. ^ Rose, Brittany (9 August 2022). "This Boarding School of Horrors in Poland, Maine Only Shut Down a Decade Ago". Q97.9. Archived from the original on 2022-07-03. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
  34. ^ Langley, Katie (2024-11-17). "Fire destroys building at former Élan School". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
  35. ^ Tice, Lindsay (April 28, 2017). "Elan film debuts at Emerge Film Festival". Sun Journal. Archived from the original on 30 April 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  36. ^ The Last Stop at IMDb  
  37. ^ Bowman, Parker (January 28, 2020). "Valley Vertigo: Documentary details controversial and experimental Élan School". The Hanford Sentinel. Hanford, California. Archived from the original on 2021-10-20. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  38. ^ Žofčák, Jakub (February 6, 2023). "Týraní dětí na objednávku. Zvrhlý byznys amerických polepšoven" [Child abuse to order. The perverted business of American reformatories]. Finmag (in Czech). ISSN 1802-9612. Archived from the original on 2023-03-13. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  39. ^ "Joe vs. Elan School". elan.school. Archived from the original on 2022-04-23. Retrieved 2023-03-13.

Further reading

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