Élan School

Élan School was a private, coeducational, and controversial residential behavior modification program, therapeutic boarding school and cult that was active in child abuse[1] (beginning with 8th grade and extending beyond high school completion) 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 in 2011 due to allegations of abuse which dated back to its opening in 1970.

Élan School
Location
Poland
,
Maine
04274

United States
Coordinates44.008°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 was located on a 33-acre (13 ha) campus[2] that was formerly a hunting lodge.[3]

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.[4] The school was also the subject of persistent allegations of abuse in their behavioral modification program.[5][6]

On March 23, 2011, Élan School announced it would be closing on April 1, 2011.[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][6] Maine politician Bill Diamond served as its Director of Governmental Relations.[11]

Program

The school specialized in treating teenagers with behavioral problems. In the program, 'humiliation' was stated clearly as a therapeutic tool, as is 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."[6]

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," but added "and yet there are lots of hugs."[6]

Controversy

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 2002 during the trial of Michael Skakel, 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.[15][16] 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."[6]

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.[17] 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.[18][19][20]

Closure

On March 23, 2011, Élan School announced it would be closing on April 1, 2011. The school's owner, Sharon Terry, blamed 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, despite numerous investigations by the Maine Department of Education that vindicated Élan, “the school has, unfortunately, been unable to survive the damage.”[7]

Film

Élan was featured in Children of Darkness, a critically acclaimed documentary filmed in 1983 that explored the grueling realities 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.[21][22]

Notable alumni

See also

References
  1. https://elan.school/proof/
  3. "ElanAlum.org". Elanalum.org. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  4. Kennedy Jr, Robert F. (1 January 2003). "A Miscarriage of Justice". The Atlantic. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  5. "Good News: Bad Economy Killing Abusive Teen Programs". HuffPost. 30 January 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  6. John, Warren St (2 June 2002). "Skeletons in the Classroom". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  7. "What about the other story?". Sunjournal.com. 3 November 2006. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  8. Dwight F. Blint (February 15, 2000). "JOSEPH RICCI'S CAREER AND CONTROVERSY". Hartford Courant. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  9. Karen Vachon. "About Scarborough Downs". Scarborough Downs official website. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  11. "Senator Bill Diamond". Maine Senate Democrats. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  13. DeRogatis, Jim (2001). "Screeching Halt". SPIN Magazine. SPIN Media LLC. 17 (3): 124.
  14. "Bad Company: The Elan School." Details Magazine, Archived 2010-12-07 at the Wayback Machine, November 2001.
  17. Special Education Quality Assurance Nondistrict Program Review: Final Report, Élan School, 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
  20. Skelton, Kathryn (21 October 2016). "State police: Elan student's death investigation continues". Sunjournal.com. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  22. "The Last Stop (2017)". IMDb.com.
  23. 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. Accessed September 24, 2020.
  24. Skelton, Kathryn and Tice, Lindsay. "His family asks: What really happened to Phil at the Elan School?", Sun Journal, March 13, 2016.

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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