STATE officials raised concerns about the health, safety, and restraining of students at the Academy of Ivy Ridge three years before the controversial troubled teen school finally closed its doors for good, a letter obtained by The U.S. Sun shows.
The existence of the letter — written by New York’s State Education Department and addressed to Ivy Ridge’s Director Jason Finlinson in August 2006 — appears to contradict comments made by the St. Lawrence County District Attorney Gary M. Pasqua during a press conference on Monday.
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On Monday, Pasqua announced that state officials were investigating dozens of allegations of abuse and sexual abuse made by ex-Ivy Ridge alumni in the wake of a new documentary exposé about the school that debuted on Netflix last week.
During his remarks, Pasqua claimed that despite the bountiful number of abuse allegations made in the docuseries, no reports of abuse exist in any of the files he has examined with the District Attorney’s Office.
According to Pasqua, the only files he found regarding concerns at Ivy Ridge related to a riot staged by male students in 2005.
However, a letter obtained by The U.S. Sun shows The State Education Department raised concerns about the conditions inside Ivy Ridge as early as August 2006, when the now-defunct school was still in full operation.
The letter — filed as an exhibit as part of a class action fraud and racketeering lawsuit against the school the same year — accused Ivy Ridge of “serious deficiencies” in its academic services and health and safety protocol.
The lawsuit was later dismissed.
“The Department has found health and safety aspects of AIR’s [Academy at Ivy Ridge’s] program to be deficient,” reads an excerpt of the letter.
“Deficiencies include inadequate systems to protect the health and safety of students, a chain of command that places one group of students over another, prohibition against students possessing any phone numbers or addresses, overly restrictive policies regarding student use of restrooms, and inadequate staff training related to student restraint.
“[…] the Department finds that AIR’s application has serious deficiencies in the areas of academics and health and safety,” it continues.
“The Department’s review revealed that AIR is principally a behavior modification center and not a school that should be accorded the privilege of administering Regents examinations and awarding diplomas.”
The Education Department said it made the assessment after visiting Ivy Ridge’s campus twice.
One of the state officials who visited the campus, Thomas Hogan, provided a sworn statement as part of the lawsuit.
While insisting he hadn’t witnessed any “prohibited conduct” during the visit, Hogan raised concerns about the standard of education being afforded to the students and noted Ivy Ridge’s affiliation with the controversial and scandal-ridden organization, World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS).
“White the state purpose of the corporation specified the operation fo a boarding and day school, the supporting information clearly indicated that a primary goal of the organization was to change the behavior of a population of defiant and/or troubled youth,” stated Hogan.
“Moreover, the supporting information submitted to ONS made reference to ‘Tranquility Bay’ and ‘High Impact’, two boot-camp style behavior modification programs for troubled youth, located outside of New York State,” that are affiliated with WWASPS.
“The methods used by Tranquility Bay and other programs affiliated with WWASP were the subject of substantial media publicity at the time […] several WWASP-affiliated programs have been closed by authorities after allegations of physical abuse.”
The existence of the New York State Department of Education’s letter raises questions as to what the state knew and what — if anything — they did to further investigate the “deficiencies” cited.
STUDENT OUTRAGE
The St. Lawrence District Attorney’s Office has been contacted for comment.
Ivy Ridge shut its doors in 2009 after being fined by the New York State Attorney General’s Office for issuing fake diplomas and following years of bad press, which caused enrollment numbers to plummet.
Two former Ivy Ridge students told The U.S. Sun they are encouraged by the DA’s announcement that officials are finally investigating historic abuse allegations at the school.
However, they questioned Pasqua’s claims the state was completely ignorant of any alleged abuses unfolding on campus prior to Netflix’s new documentary, The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnappings.
New York State had knowledge of a problem; child abuse is the business of anyone who knows — and they knew.
Cynthia Lane
They both pointed to an article published in the local newspaper, The Journal, in 2007 which detailed the arrest of two staff members for failing to protect a child from a student-on-student assault as evidence.
“We are grateful that the DA made a statement that his office will investigate these allegations and will take action, if possible, for the benefit of survivors,” said ex-student Cynthia Lane.
“But, the statement that the office was not aware of issues at the Academy at Ivy Ridge, beyond the riot in 2005, brings up the question of other evidence within New York state.
“I fear, just as before in 2006, there will be another systemic failure by those in a position of power and with the capability of taking action.
“How can one government department state that there are legitimate concerns for the health and safety of children, and there is not a documented follow-up investigation?
“Where were social services?” asked Cynthia.
“That could have been all it took to shut Ivy Ridge down 3 years before they closed from a lack of profit and enrollment. Three years to save countless children from abuse and trauma.
“New York State had knowledge of a problem; child abuse is the business of anyone who knows — and they knew.”
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Eddie Curley, who attended Ivy Ridge between 2005 and 2006, similarly asked why state officials didn’t intervene to close down the school three years before it voluntarily did so itself, despite raising concerns about the conditions inside.
“The state of NY to my knowledge never did a subsequent investigation regarding these allegations rather allowing the school to operate for an additional 3 years until lack of enrollment finally shuttered its doors,” he said.
“New York State not only knew there was a problem, they failed us children miserably.”
COPS INVESTIGATING
During Monday’s press conference, DA Pasqua confirmed that local officials have received numerous reports of physical and sexual abuse since the release of The Program on March 5.
Pasqua assured every claim would be extensively vetted by investigators but called for patience among the public while a full-scale inquiry is carried out.
The DA said his office, along with the Sheriff’s Office and State Police, has received numerous calls from individuals not only in St. Lawrence County, where the Ivy Ridge campus is located, but across the state and nation.
“My office takes those reports very seriously, as does all of law enforcement, including the agencies you see here,” Pasqua said.
“I can assure you, something is being done. It is going to take time. You’re talking about incidents that happened in some cases over 20 years ago. So this is not going to be a quick resolution,” he said.
Pasqua urged any former students of the academy who suffered abuse or who believed they were victims of a crime to come forward with their stories.
However, not all calls received by his office have been constructive, he said.
“I ask the public that if you were not included in [Ivy Ridge], I do urge, please do not reach out simply looking for information. Please do not reach out asking what we are doing. Please do not reach out giving us advice or providing suggestions about how we should conduct the investigation,” he urged.
“Reaching out to law enforcement, whether it’s by phone or through these emails, is not going to help our investigation.
“If you do not have first-hand information, it is simply going to deter and distract law enforcement from helping those individuals who were there. So I ask, please do not reach out in those instances.”
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EX-DIRECTOR TERMINATED
Pasqua also warned people from going to the institution’s location as there’s still evidence there, and they are still collecting it and don’t want it tampered with.
The DA did not share which individuals came forward seeking assistance from law enforcement to deter harassment because of their involvement with Ivy Ridge.
The school’s former director, Jason Finlinson, was fired from his position at a Utah-based construction firm last week mere hours after the documentary’s release, The U.S. Sun exclusively revealed.
Layton Construction confirmed on Friday that Finlinson had been employed as a safety manager but was fired on March 7.
When pressed on what led to Finlinson’s termination, the company declined to comment further, citing internal policy.
Another ex-Ivy Ridge staffer to fall under mounting scrutiny online in the documentary’s wake is Amy Ritchie, the former director of the girls’ program.
Ritchie is currently employed as a mental health therapy aid at the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center in Ogdensburg, New York, state records show.
Ritchie worked at Ivy Ridge between 2001 and 2008 and was accused in The Program of engaging in and enabling countless instances of physical and emotional abuse against young girls placed in her care.
In the documentary, numerous former female students also claimed they were groomed and sexually assaulted by a female staff member – who was not named – who allegedly went unpunished under Ritchie’s directorship.
Requests for comment about the allegations made in The Program have so far gone unanswered by Ritchie.
After leaving Ivy Ridge, she went on to become the residential program director at another controversial troubled teen facility, Sunset Bay Academy, in California, which has also fallen subject to numerous allegations of abuse.
At least two other former Ivy Ridge staffers work at St. Lawrence. Their names are being withheld until they can be reached for comment.
Both of the staffers are men and employed as security and safety officers at the care facility, state records show.
The U.S. Sun approached the New York Office of Mental Health (OMH) about the employment status of Ritchie and the two men after information began circulating among locals and ex-students that they’d been fired within 48 hours of The Program airing on Netflix.
Justin Mason, a spokesperson for OMH, said he was unable to discuss the employment history of any current or former employees but offered the following written statement.
“OMH takes all allegations of abuse or neglect very seriously,” wrote Mason.
“All agency employees who have direct patient contact are thoroughly vetted, fingerprinted, undergo a criminal background check, and are cross-referenced against the Justice Center’s Staff Exclusion List and the State’s Child Abuse Registry before they are hired.”
The St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center is just a 15-minute drive from the now-abandoned Ivy Ridge campus, which was listed for sale for $875,000 over the weekend.
‘HEADS SHOULD ROLL’
Eddie Curley rejoiced over the news of Finlinson’s firing in a statement to The U.S. Sun on Friday, and voiced hope that other ex-faculty will face similar repercussions.
But Curley called it “disheartening” to learn Ritchie and other ex-academy faculty have been entrusted with looking after vulnerable and institutionalized people since Ivy Ridge’s closure in 2009.
“These kinds of individuals should not be allowed near a public park let alone a hospital where if allegations were to be made [they] would likely not be believed anyway,” charged Eddie.
“They’ve moved from one silent [and vulnerable] group of victims to another.”
Julie Peysakhova, who left Ivy Ridge in 2006, also delighted in Finlinson’s firing and, like Curley, called for more sweeping measures against other Ivy Ridge staffers.
“After so many years of being told we wouldn’t be believed or we should just ‘get over it,’ it’s the most incredible feeling to know that not only are we believed, but we have real support surrounding us,” she told The U.S. Sun.
“Of course, I still believe they deserve legal repercussions more than anything. They are child abusers.
“But this is an amazing first step in holding those who are responsible for our abuse and trauma accountable.”
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At its peak, Ivy Ridge had 600 students, all paying nearly $4,000 per month, allowing it to rake in over $20 million a year.
Students were subject to crowded living quarters, physical restraint for minor infractions, solitary confinement, brainwashing, and, in some cases, physical, psychological, and even alleged sexual abuse.
The school had a bizarre and convoluted points system designed to keep students in “the program” for as long as possible to ensure their parents kept shelling out tens of thousands of dollars a year in tuition.
However, many of the faculty members weren’t even qualified to teach children, and the “diploma” that students received upon graduation from Ivy Ridge was worthless and not officially recognized by the state of New York.
Last week, New York State Assemblyman Scott Gray called on Attorney General Pasqua to conduct a comprehensive investigation into Ivy Ridge — a call he appeared to heed on Monday.
In a statement, Gray said the accounts of abuse shared in Kubler’s documentary are “unfortunate” and should not be handled lightly.
He said, “I firmly believe those who feel aggrieved should be encouraged to pursue the appropriate channels, including seeking redress through the attorney general or any other avenues they deem fit.
“To ascertain the full extent of the situation, I call upon the attorney general to conduct a comprehensive investigation.”
Gray added that local lawmakers should focus on holding those responsible for the shared abuse accountable and ensure the well-being of all individuals affected by the events at Ivy Ridge.
“Furthermore, this is precisely why we need transparency and oversight of the services available for individuals who are considered our most vulnerable population, whether it is the elderly or youth, whether it is dealing with behavioral health or substance use issues,” continued Gray.
“I will remain diligent in my advocacy for individuals at all levels of life so situations like this one do not occur again.”
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