My name is Leah Pallor. I am not very good at writing but I do know what I endured at the Family Foundation school from April 1998-November 1999 and I will share it all.
I was 15 years old when it all began. An adolencent that was suffering from depression due to losing my father at age 10 to cancer and a dramatic social life at public school. My grades were going down and my family was very worried about me. I was sneaking out at night to see my friends and if I was told "No" I would would just leave home anyway.
I was sent to a local boarding school, but was expelled only 2 months after. My mom felt depserate and looked into places she could send me for help. This is when she came across The Family Foundation School.
I was awoken in the morning by my mom and two escorts who shackled me and put me in the backseat of a car where I would be headed to "my new school". I cried and was so confused, but I complied because I wanted to shackles off.
As I arrived at the school I was escorted inside where I was stripped of almost everything I had. I remember my second meal they served me was fish. I get sick from fish everytime I eat it. I explained this to them but they told me I had to eat it anyway. I refused so they had me sit in the corner where they took my shoes away and told me I wasnt allowed to eat at all until I ate my fish. Next mean that came around they brought my fish back out and said I had to eat it.
They literally starved me and told me I will go to the hospital and get fed through tubes. I finally gave in and ate the fish and after about two bites, I vomited. Everytime we had seafood I would vomit but they still amde me eat it.
I was so fed up and scared that I decided to run away. The police found me coming out of the woods and the school promised me a phone call home if I came back and so I did. They never gave me the phone call. I was taken the privelage of speaking to or getting or sending mail to my family for three and a half months.
I was put on "sanctions" where I couldnt wear makeup, jewelry or name brand clothes. I had to wear my hair in a tight bun or else they would cut it off and even though my clothes were huge on me they still said they were too tight. my mother had to keep buying new clothes to send me there. I only had two outfits they approved of me wearing. The whole time I was there, the staff humiliated me by making me out to be a sex addict flirt when all I ever did was kiss a boy. Sex wasn't even on my mind yet.
They had me make a dishonesty list to share with my mother and everytime I made a real one out they told me it wasnt good enough. They didnt approve the list until I said I was doing worse things than I really was. I was on "blackout" with boys almost the whole time I was there which really affected me when I came out of the school. I was wrapped in blankets and forced to eat nothing but dry tuna and water even though it made me sick. I was also put on a sanction to eat nothing but bread and water and remained on that for almost three weeks.
When my sister came to take me out of there she said my complexion was very green in color due to malnutrition. I left the Family School very brain washed and afraid of the world and never to trust anyone. I still have nightmares that I am there and when I try to run its like running under water and I couldnt get out. I definitely feel traumatized by my experience and I am so grateful that something is trying to be done to fix this and stop this.
The children are our future...Stop the abuse
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
Why were you expelled in two months, Gitt? I'm sorry about what happened to your father. My grandfather has a cancer on the colon, but he's still fighting and we're still hoping for a recovery.
ReplyDeleteCarolin Newmeyer