This story was originally written on a webpage created to provide statements for a GAO hearing in 2007. The address is cafety.youthrights.org and it waits for your statement if you believe that your stay at a boarding school included unfair treatment or even abuse. All rights and credits goes to the author Kenny F, who posted the original story on cafety.youthrights.org
I was at the family foundation school from April of 2004 until I left on my own in June of 2005. Lets start off at the end of my stay and explain how that process works.
The day before I left, the school had my family come to the school for a 'meeting'. The group leaders Mike Losicco and Roxi Losicco (Michael Losicco and Roxanne Losicco) basically told me that I need to sign my money that I had in the bank over to my parents, to pay for the school because I was going to have to stay at the school for another six months at least. Well I denied that request because I did not believe in the schools principles and $50,000 a year tuition.
Well instead of enduring 'work sanction' where I would be taken out of school and forced to lug buckets of rocks around for eight hours a day, I decided to make my escape. It wasnt actually an escpae since I was 18 and legally could have left but Mike and Roxi, and the rest of the staff at the school made me feel that if I left the school I wouldn't become anything and that the school was my only saving grace. The next day I got my 'book bag' which I had filled with some clothes and some chewy bars that I managed to collect instead of eating for the few days prior and in between classes I ran. I didn't know where I was running to but I ran into the woods. Of course, the school had take nany form of ID I had, all my money, anything that would enable me to make it out of the school easily. It was a June day, early in the morning around 9am. I finally found the main road after an hour of running through the woods. My feet were soaked, I was hot and sweaty and I needed a drink. Then it was the next treck of seven miles to the town. I finally got to the town after two hours, school staff came to try and convince me to go back into the school, but i declined, and they left, not giving me some money or a phone number to call if I needed anything. This was the school's way of 'letting me deal with it' since they were not going to be getting paid anymore. I then saw an off duty staff member who drove me to the highway but was so scared for his job for even doing that. Once on the highway, I had to do the thing I was always taught not to do, HITCHHIKE. It was the scariest thing I ever did and all I kept thinking was, I thought the Family Foundation school was about compassion, why are they making me hitchhike, I couldnt even call anyone because I had no money, the school had that too...now lets go back to the beginning...
Most of my testimony will be on what I saw because I became very compliant very quick because when your compliant they left you alone.
I was an angry kid, I didn't talk to my parents, we didn't have a relationship. My cousin was already at the Family School because he was doing drugs and such. He was there for at least a year at this point. One morning two guys came in my room with handcuffs. They said if I cooperated I would be okay. I had no idea what was going on...was this ok? am I being kidnapped?
They explained they would be taking me to the Family Foundation School. I cooperated since I was not a completely defiant young guy. Upon arriving to the FFS, I was greeted by a nice lady with a raspy voice (as if she smoked for her whole life). They explained that everything was okay and that I would enjoy it here. I've heard things about the school and the torture the school inflicts on people because my cousin went there for so long. I was scared. Next they took my into the locker room and went through all my stuff made me strip down to make sure I didn't have any 'contraband'. I wasn't in prison, why was all this going on. Throughout my time at the school, I thought I was crazy and this all was normal, later did I find out that I was fine, the practices the family school uses are crazy. Whenever I, or any other student, had to use the bathroom, we had to go in the bathroom with another person of our sex, to prevent us from masturbating. I would have to sit on the floor while my fellow student was using the bathroom. This was disgusting every single time it happened. I was taught that masturbation and, as the school called it, 'lust' was a bad thing. When someone did something that was bad (according to the school), they would have to sit in the corner, eat on their laps, do homework on their laps, everything was the corner.
One day, one of the fellow students in my 'family' group, Andrew, was having people sign a notebook he had because he said he was leaving the school. Mike Losicco told Andrew to give him the book because that was 'innapropriate'. Andrew told Mike no. Mike Losicco then told Andrew, who was already 'in the corner' that he would be eating alternative food (which was a punishment the school would give which you would have to eat a microwaved soy burger on a english muffin, with no condiments, every meal until they deemed you learned your lesson) until he got the book. Andrew still would not give the book. Then Mike Losicco grabbed the book, Andrew held on strong, and Mike Losicco grabbed the book harder and proceeded to restrain Andrew who was not violent AT ALL, but once Mike Losicco attempted to restrain Andrew, andrew started resisting. I watched as Mike Losicco and other male staff proceeded to hold Andrew down on the floor until he calmed down. Andrew then went into isolation (which was a closet with three locks on the door and a camera inside) for a few days. I was in shock, Andrew wouldn't give Mike Losicco the book and he has the right to restrain him like that?!? This was the way of the family foundation school. But no one stood up and said anything was wrong with the practices there because the consequences were worse then enduring it.
There was a girl in my family group named Brianna. Brianna was at the school for a long time and eventually got sick of the crap and routines we went through and she became defiant. Finally Brianna's mom decided to remove her from the school and send her to a lock down facility. Mike Losicco and Roxi Losicco were not happy about this. Mike Losicco placed Brianna on exile (where she had to sit in the hallway during meal times and the hallway during the winter was extremely cold with no heat) and alternative food until she was leaving the school in a week from that point. It seemed as if Mike Losicco was punishing her for her mom taking her out of the school. Mike Losicco then instructed our family group (about 30 people) to (and i quote) "SHUN" Brianna. Mike Losicco stated that we are not to talk to her not to acknowledge her. Mike Losicco told us to shun Brianna and pretend like she doesn't exist. Deep down I felt very bad for Brianna but knew that she would be going somewhere where she may be treated like a human, not like a free person who is not complying with the system. The family Foundation school used this kind of tactic constantly. To prove to the students that if you did not comply with their rules, you would not talk to anyone, eat very little or nothing, and sit in the cold. This is not a compassionate thing as the Family Foundation School constantly states.
I was going to be having a family group with my parents and the school forces you to write a 'dishonesty list' basically a list of things that your parents didn't know you did; which was the schools way of telling our parents that we need the school. I wrote 30 things, I was not a closed person at home, my parents knew basically most of the things that I did. Mike Losicco made me write more, I was to the point where I was making up things that I supposedly did because Mike Losicco stated there needed to be more things written down. I also had a family group half way through my stay at FFS and after my family group my cousin was told to come in (he was at the school for about 2 years at least). My sister, my mom, my dad, his mom,and me were in the room. He was told to read his 'new dishonesty list' in front of all of us. He supposedly thought of new things that happened but was not informed he would be reading it in front of my parents, my sister, and me. Mike Losicco did not care about that, my cousin had to state sexual things that he did before he was at the school in front of all of us. I saw in my cousins face all the shame, embarrassment, and resentment he had for having to read that in front of all of us. He wasn't embarrassed and ashamed he did those things, he was embarrassed and ashamed he had to read it in front of us...but he knew if he didn't read it, he would be eating dinner that night and would be in the corner.
Throughout my time at the school I did notice a complete change in staff behavior when there was a parent in the room. The things I saw and had to endure at the school were ridiculous, horrible, forever changing. It took me almost a year to get out of the Family School mind set. I was constantly fearful of everything after I left because the school instilled fear in me. I had no money for college because the Family Foundation school convinced my parents to put all my college funds into their program. I almost had to get police involved when I arrived back to NYC because the school told my parents not to give me my identification because then I would have no other choice to go back to the school. But worst of all, I had to convince my parents I wasn't always lying. The staff at the school always told parents "anything that comes out of your child's mouth is a lie" and they would instill that in our parents.
Still to this day I have nightmares about being sent back to the school and having to walk and hitchhike back home because I wouldn't spend another two hours at that school. It hurts me even more to see the Family Foundation School using their old statistics of more than two thirds of their graudates doing good, and the are taking all the credit for it. I'm doing great now, and its not thanks to the Family Foundation School, none of it is.
2013 the school changed its name to Allynwood Academy due to the bad press.
References:
Datasheet about the boarding school at Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora
The original statement on cafety.youthrights.com
