The first day I arrived at Elan I walked into a room where a "three house ring" and "general meeting" was being held. A boy's nose was the receiving end of a boxing glove and blood streaming down his face was the result from being in the "Ring". Then about one hundred and fifty students in rows of about five all "got their feelings off", which involves screaming and swearing in a persons face who is deemed to have done something "wrong" in the eyes of the so called "Directors" of the school that is a "General Meeting". The "Directors" keep the momentum of these unbelievable events going. I always wished my parents would make a surprise visit and stumble in on a "General Meeting". What would they think? ("General Meetings" could happen as often as two or more times a day. "Rings" happened occasionally, which consist of a circle of students surrounding the "offender" and the other student who are both wearing boxing gloves. The outside circle is taunting the offender while the two box. When the student gets tired another takes his or her place to be in the ring with the "offender")
The "Directors" are the ones who tightly control each of the students lives. Reading students mail, having phone calls listened to.
At night a student stays awake to guard the dorms of his or her gender. Every ten minutes for eight hours a night a "bed check" is conducted. Each student has their sheets lifted up and a flashlight is shone on the student's body to make sure they don't have any hidden clothing to take with them in the event that they try to run away. Could you imagine having your sheets pulled up every ten minutes for eight hours every night for years? Can you imagine that students are expected, who are in positions of responsibility, to stay up all night and be a "night guard"? And if you fall asleep you will be punished and be made to scrub the floors for a couple of days and have your shoe laces taken away.
"The Corner", which is really a term dubbed for being put into isolation, is used to take a child who is not conforming with Elan out of the population. Another student is then placed with them as a "support person". This support person could be subject to the other student acting out, which could involve attempts at self mutilation, being spat on, sworn at, screamed at, exposed to the students genitals, exposed to them masturbating for shock effect but Elan has a no kick out policy. The "support person" may be expected to physically restrain the acting out student. Sometimes the support person had to hold them down on the floor and have plastic restraints put on the student so his or her hands are behind his or her back. Sometimes this student who is acting out could be in the corner for over a month. Spending his or her days facing the corner of a wall and sleeping on a dingy mattress on the floor. This student could spend a month acting crazy like this and then stop and come out of "the corner" only to be put right back in because he or she starts acting out again. Usually there was at least one student in "the corner" for the two year period I was there. Also if the "support person" may take their eyes off this other student in "the corner" and he or she decides to self mutilate and succeeds then the "support person" will be stripped of his or her position of responsibility and made to scrub floors for a time of maybe two to three days. Can you believe that this is allowed to go on? A fifteen year old child being forced into this responsibility if he or she wants to succeed in Elan? Also that child who is"acting out" does so because he or she is standing up for themselves albeit it is in a damaging fashion but that is how a person may cope when being forced to stay in a place like Elan.
The school curriculum, is fabulous for an unmotivated child, with no tests, exams, or projects it couldn't be better. When parents receive news that their child, who was once possibly failing in school, is now getting great marks they could only think that Elan is doing something right. That is one of the tactics Elan uses to decept parents and school boards but ultimately rob that child of a real education.
Could you imagine not being allowed to go outside when you want? When I was in Elan you pretty much got outside once a week for a gym class. If you were lucky you got to go out for special outings maybe once every month or two but that only happens after about six months, which I would say is about the average length of time it takes for the "brainwashing effect" to be fully active in a student. After that constant fear and guilt consumes a student and everything from brushing up against the opposite sex to taking a minute longer in the shower than is allowed is written down on a piece of paper(referred to in Elan as "copping to your guilt") and given to the powers at be so they know your every move. So basically everything that Elan deems as "wrong" is instilled through feeling immense guilt and usually eventually you fess up. When I was in Elan for about a month I spat in a staff member's coffee but nobody knew except me. A year later I told on myself. By the way Elan is co-ed but no physical or flirty behaviour is allowed. Can you imagine a house full of hormonal teens being watched over so severely that you're scared to look someone of the opposite sex in the eye for too long? I received a " general meeting" for being flirty. I had people scream and swear in my face for ten minutes because I am human. This is where the ultimate control happens and the "Directors" or staff were ruthless. They would scream and swear in your face and make you feel absolutely hopeless. They controlled the level of fear among the students.
References:
Datasheet about the boarding school at Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora
The original statement on cafety.youthrights.com
Elan says the boxing ring ended way before this story. I've checked out J Ziv and find him credible, as would any rational person. Why can't we find anyone to say that what happened there was abuse?
ReplyDeletePaul Morantz said Elan damaged residents worse than Synanon. He was the government's witness when Synanon lost it's tax free status
ReplyDeleteI retired in 2013 after over 34 years as a Probation and Parole Officer for the State of Maine. Since I am now a "free man" and can speak the truth, I will make a few comments about Elan. During my first five years as a PPO, I supervised juveniles as well as adults and I worked with a few young people who were "students" at Elan. I found the Elan administration provided very little communication concerning any of my clients at that facility. One time I wanted to visit a boy on my caseload who was at Elan and was told they needed time to "prepare" for my visit. After a couple of years on the job I had learned of several incidents of abuse at Elan against my clients and others. When I went to my supervisor to report the abuse, I was told that Elan was a "sacred cow" and that officials in my department (Mental Health and Corrections) as well as Human Services and Education were "in tight" with Joe Ricci and the Elan School and that if I reported a problem with Elan I would become the problem. I was told by one official in my department that anyone causing problems to Elan could "disappear like Jimmy Hoffa." After "mandated reporting" of child abuse became law in Maine, there were several incidents of abuse at Elan reported to Child Protective (Department of Human Services) but they were "buried" and never given the proper investigation and follow up due to Mr. Ricci's political connections in Augusta. Frankly, I am relieved that Elan has finally closed its doors and that more and more former Elan residents are having the courage to come forward. Although Joe Ricci himself passed away in 2001, there are other former Elan administrators still around. Bill Diamond, Maine state legislator, was Elan's "Director of Government Relations" and was instrumental in defending Elan from scrutiny. Mr. Diamond claims today to be an advocate for abused children but his former association with Elan makes one wonder.