To all those children and their families that were harmed due the State of Georgia’s agencies’ continued obfuscation of the truth, negligence, and incompetence with regard to their oversight of the former Ridge Creek School facility, its former affiliate entities such as Hidden Lake Academy and Ridge Creek Wilderness, this is for you.
To those citizen advocates, one teacher, an admission’s administrator, a counselor, and only one DFCS employee, decent human beings, tirelessly fighting to expose the truth and ensure the safety and welfare of the children at the Ridge Creek School facility, while being continually vilified by Ridge Creek School, Inc.'s hierarchy - a machine of spineless attorneys, staff lackey’s, incompetent clergy, town groupies, and the like, this is for you.To those individuals at the State level that were contacted by families for help, only to have their pleas fall on your insensitive, lying, condescending, placating, deaf ears and stone hearts, for over a decade - ignoring children's rights - this is for you.
For those individuals that ignored the safety and well-being of our children, and to those parties that did not take personal responsibility for their own egregious behavior as mandated reporters, this is for you.For those in power within the State of Georgia that ignored our cries, the cries of our children, and did not take needed divisive action to remedy the imminent disaster and debacle of the Ridge Creek School facility, take a bow with your co-horts:
All staff under the Ridge Creek School, Inc. corporate entity as mandated reporters; Georgia’s ORS/ORCC under DHS, including DFCS, DBHDD, and the DJJ; ADVANC-ED-SACS, Lumpkin County Police Department, Local, State, and Federal Judges, the GBI, the FBI, Gov. Nathan Deal, Gov. Deal’s Office of the Child Advocate, Children and Youth Committee, the State Attorney General’s Office, Lumpkin County District Attorney, Secretary of State Kemp, ORCC Commissioner Clyde Reese, and lastly, the pathetic Georgia Board of Examiners of Psychologists – this is for you.
Special recognition to NATSAP, the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs and IECA, Independent Educational Consultants Association, trade associations, both of which continued to be blinded by their own greed and totally incompetent when it comes to understanding that they, too, are mandated reporters. Educational Consultants continued to send children to this facility, in
spite of damning, documented state evidence. NATSAP ignored complaints. Take a bow. This is for you.
Recalling the first conversation in the Spring of 2011 with the GAO Director of Investigations, the conversation moved to the number of children that attempted suicides by hanging at the Ridge Creek School facility. He replied, “A hanging?” Response,“No, Sir, at last count six.” Shocked, he repeated, "Six, you say?” Reply, “Yes, Sir.” He responded, “One is enough.” Apparently, it was not enough for the State of Georgia to intercede. But, hey, after all, “He is politically connected in downtown Atlanta.” Our final count before closure of this facility, within one year, was in the double digits. Below is a summary of the findings stemming from the investigation in 2011 of the former Ridge Creek School facility in Georgia, the ORCC, and State of Georgia agencies by the Georgia Advocacy Office (GAO), Protection and Advocacy for the State of Georgia which is mandated by Congress. *Note: Permission was given by the GAO to share this document. It has been formatted for this article. The addressed individual has been deleted; Mr. McDaniel's signature did not transfer in formatting.
GAO FINDINGS:
| GAO |
ADVOCACY TheProtectionand AdvocacySystemforPeople withDisabilitiesinGeorgia
OFFICE
November15,2012
Re: RidgeCreekSchool,Dahlonega,Georgia
Dear-
ThankyouforyourinquiryregardingthefindingsoftheGeorgiaAdvocacyOffice(GAO)with regardtothefacilityformerlyoperatedbyRidgeCreekSchoolinDahlonega,Georgia. Asyou know,RidgeCreekSchoolprovidedwhathasbeendescribedasatherapeuticschoolto incorporatebotheducationandcounselinginaresidentialprogramforchildrenexperiencing emotionaldisturbances.Multiplestatehumanservicesagenciesutilizedthisprogram,including theDepartmentofHumanServices/Divisionof FamilyandChildrenServices(DFCS)andthe DepartmentofJuvenile Justice(DJJ). Oversightwastheresponsibilityoftheseagencies,in additiontothelicensingresponsibility exercisedbytheDepartmentofHumanServices/Officeof Residential ChildCare(ORCC)andtheDepartmentofEducation. Theschoolwasaccredited bytheSouthernAssociationofCollegesandSchools(SACS).
Overthecourseofseveralyears,ORCCidentifiedmultipleandseriousdeficienciesin performanceattheschoolinthecourseofinvestigatingcomplaintsandincidentsandduring annualreviewsofthefacility.RidgeCreekSchoolwascitedbyORCCrepeatedlyformultiple regulatoryviolations includinginsufficientstaffing,medicationsnotadministeredaccurately, failuretoprovideprotectivecareandoversightandfailuretoreportincidents.Oftentherewere multipleandrepeatedcitationsforthesamedeficiency,therebydemonstrating RidgeCreek's failuretoidentify,correct,andmaintainimprovements. ORCCfailedtofollowthroughto ensurethatthedocumented deficiencieswereultimatelyremediedandthechildrenconfined therewereprotectedfromharm.
ManyofthechildrenatRidgeCreekwereinthecustodyofDFCSorDJJandwere confinedto RidgeCreekundertheauthorityofthoseagencies. ItisuncleartowhatextentDFCSandDJJ weremadeawareofthemultipleandrepeateddeficienciesofthefacility. Insomecases,DFCS andDJJweremadeawareofincidentsatthefacilityalongwiththeDepartmentofBehavioral HealthandDevelopmentalDisabilities.Insomecases,investigations werecarriedout,yetno agencyfocusedonthepatternofongoingissuesthatcontributedtotheunsafeenvironment whichledtoabuseandneglectofchildrenwhowereinthecareofRidgeCreekSchool.
RidgeCreekSchoolalsofrequentlyrequestedassistancefromLumpkinCountyPolicefor multipleincidentsincludingpropertydestruction,elopement,fights,sexualassault,andriots. In oneinstanceinJanuary2011,LumpkinCountyPolicereportedthatapproximately11students werecausingdamagetotheschoolbuildingsbybreakingoutwindows,settingofffire
TEL 404.885.1234 VOICEandTDD800.537.2329FAX 404.378.0031 WEBwww.thegao.org
November15,2012
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extinguishers,makingentryintoabuildingwithoutpermission,andknockingoveroffice equipment.
Althoughitisclearthatoversightwasinadequate,thediffusionofresponsibilityacrossagencies alsoraisessignificantconcernsforthecontinuingoversightofotherresidentialprogramssimilar tothatofRidgeCreek. Wewillbeconductingadditionalinquiriesintosimilarprogramsin Georgiatoidentifyongoingproblemsandopportunitiesforimprovement. Accordingto informationprovidedbytheGeorgiaDepartmentofHumanServices,thereareapproximately tenotherfacilitiesthatoperatesimilarprograms-residentialtreatmentserviceswithanonsite schooloperatedbytheprovider-withsimilarcompetingoversightagencies, withinGeorgia.
ProblemswithRidgeCreekSchoolareemblematicofthemultipleoversightagenciesthathave jurisdiction, andthelackofcoordinationamongtheagencies. Thislackofcoordinationhas resultedinmultipleincidentsthatposedathreattothehealthandsafetyofchildrenaswellas incompleterecordsandcouldrepeatinothercircumstances.
Ifyouhaveanyadditionalinformationthatwouldexpeditefurtherinvestigation,pleasecontact usassoonaspossible.
Sincerely,
TobinMcDaniel
DirectorofInvestigationsADVOCATES :
We remain hopeful that this will be a wake-up call for the State of Georgia, although their record is well-known to be less than stellar in child care and transparency. Perhaps the State of Georgia will look at these findings in a positive light, as grace given, from those that were given none. It's a stretch, but miracles happen.
Documents attest to the fact that this is a systemic problem. Change has to come from the top down, instead of promoting incompetence and nepotism. The mandate held that investigative reports and documents can be subjectively altered by supervisors under the DHS needs to cease immediately.
What was allowed to transpire at the Ridge Creek School facility and the harm it brought could have been stopped years back by the State of Georgia. If their leaders had any backbone, it would have saved far too many hardships. The State was complicit and therefore, culpable, with or without state immunity, which they utilize to shelter themselves. An image of our forefather's tear droplets comes to mind ... Thankfully, we have something they apparently do not have or lost - heart.
We expect reforms from the State of Georgia's DHS and its sister agencies as documents currently reflect systemic troubles in other like residential facilities for children currently operating in Georgia.
To date, there still has been no responsibility taken; state employees, who were mandated reporters, were promoted, no charges. Former staff that were mandated reporters have not been charged and continue to operate with their professional licenses intact - with children.
We are eternally grateful to the Georgia Advocacy Office (GAO) who truly believe that everyone has the right to live their life surrounded by hope, aspirations, respect, love, and community, despite their developmental disabilities. The GAO faces each day that dawns with new challenges; committed, professional, and forever in heart-felt service, they fight for the oppressed and vulnerable who have no voice such as our children. They mentor citizen advocates in their stature, honesty, and dedication. A trait that was quite refreshing after a decade of eye-opening cover-ups and incompetence.
Thank you to Director McDaniel and the entire staff at the GAO.
"For the Children Left Behind" and those to come ...
I am, Jill Ryan
Citizen Advocate
* A true copy of this document can be obtained by contacting jilliestake@live.com.
http://thegao.org/who-we-are/