Academy At Ivy Ridge
School Location: Ogdensburg, NY.
Administrators: Ivy Ridge Director Jason Finlinson (shown above) is Robert Lichfield's brother-in-law.
While the Academy at Ivy Ridge claims to be "independently owned and operated," WWASPS founder Robert Lichfield is part-owner of the facility. New York authorities declared the Academy at Ivy Ridge one of the largest cases of education fraud in state history. The "school" was fined $250,000, ordered to repay nearly $2 Million in "tuition" payments, and stop issuing its worthless diplomas.
History of the Academy at Ivy Ridge:
Fall, 2001: Robert B. Lichfield of Utah purchases the campus of the former Mater Dei junior college from the Diocese.
Fall, 2001: R.B. Lichfield donates $50,000 to SUNY Canton.
November 7, 2001: Jason G. Finlinson Corporation and the Joseph and Alyn Mitchell Corporation incorporated
December 17, 2001: Finlinson and Mitchell Corporations join to form Academy at Ivy Ridge (Academy at Ivy Ridge)
Fall, 2001: Academy at Ivy Ridge is accepted as a candidate for accreditation by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges (now known as Northwest Association of Accredited Schools, or NAAS). Note that candidacy was accepted before students enrolled.
January, 2002: Students arrive on campus
March 2004: A prospective student is beaten by escort services en route to Academy at Ivy Ridge.
February 9, 2005: New York's Office of Child Protective Services and the Education Department open an investigation into Academy at Ivy Ridge, based on complaints.
March 2005: Northwest Association of Accredited Schools rescinds Academy at Ivy Ridge candidacy for accreditation.
Mid-2005: Enrollment peaks at about 500 students
May 16, 2005: A riot breaks out at Ivy Ridge
August 14, 2005: Police again called to Ivy Ridge, following a false fire alarm.
August 18, 2005: Attorney General of New York orders Academy at Ivy Ridge to refund tuition.
November 29, 2005: Academy at Ivy Ridge withdraws from WWASPS
May, 2006: Academy at Ivy Ridge hires education consultant Robert L. Guarino, Ph.D. to help prepare the school for accreditation.
June, 2006: Academy at Ivy Ridge found to be an inappropriate placement for a child with learning disabilities.
July 25, 2006: Class action lawsuit filed against Academy at Ivy Ridge by Hancock & Estabook, LLP.
September, 2006: A student new to Academy at Ivy Ridge was hospitalized after a beating by fellow students; staff members are later charged with negligence for not preventing the beating.
November 28, 2006: New York State's Department of Education determines that Academy at Ivy Ridge is "principally a behavior modification center and not a school that should be accorded the privilege of administering Regents examinations and awarding diplomas."
December 2006: Enrollment has dropped to about 150 students.
March 2007: Four students run away from the facility.
April , 2007: The judge hearing the case against Academy at Ivy Ridge denies class-action status.
Source: http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_of_dreams/2007/07/history-of-acad.html
Student Reviews:
1. My name is Nathaniel frank. I recently went to this school’s was on who participated in the riot. I and a few kids managed to escape from that facility. For the kids that didn’t I can’t manage to get them out of my mind for the shit that they must be going through had to spend 9 months of my life in that place. For the parents that do not know about this. Many people went to the hospital. Kids lost there teeth. People got there jaws snapped by kids putting soap in a sock. I was one of the few that ran for the hills’ do not have the patience to sit here and recall what happened there that night. The cold room we had to sit in that night with no sleep and being put through hell by the people who work there. 48 of us were sent to a stricter program and I and 2 more were picked up by are parents to go home. Now if you are reading this I advise that you take your kids out of that place immediately. I can’t explain why but he/she would do much better in your custody. If you have a response or want to ask a question from someone who went to the school just emails me at sk8erpunknate@yahoo.com......
2. The riots were insane; I had been attending the school for about a week when they happened. I was petrified. The staff made it known that they had no control of the situation. Sirens began to go off, and we were all called to count off, including the upper levels. All the girls were accounted for, but the boys were the ones rioting. I could hear windows breaking and people shouting. There was glass going everywhere. There were people screaming everywhere outside. God, how I wanted to go too! We could hear Cindy and Jason on the radios screaming for people to call 9-11. The boys were going insane. I have never been so fearful for my life. They treated us like shit; they wouldn't tell us what was going on. They told us that if we didn't go in our rooms and close our eyes, we would drop a level. I think that upper levels permanently dropped that night because of that reason alone. One of the dorm moms was pregnant and lost the child because one of the kids punched her in the stomach. It's pretty hard to remember a lot of the gory details because it was over 2 years ago, but I will try to answer anymore questions you have. I'll just have you know, I have never in my life felt like I had to be on edge at all times more than I did at Ivy Ridge. I couldn't trust a fucking person there.