RIDGE CREEK SCHOOL FOR SALE - ONLY 10.5 mil - TALK ABOUT TAKING THE MONKEY OFF THE ORCC'S BACK!

Hidden Lake

 

FOR SALE/ UPDATE REDUCED to 6.5 mil 
 
Ridge Creek School "Ridge Creek Academy"
830 Hidden Lake Road, Dahlonega, GA | Lumpkin County , GA

http://www.landandfarm.com/property/Ridge_Creek_Academy-345982/

Although the facility was listed on April 14, 2011 as "Ridge Creek Academy," by all appearances, addresses, maps, taxes, and liens, it clearly is Ridge Creek School, under the corporate veil of Ridge Creek, Inc. and/or Hidden Lake Academy, Inc.

Administration Building

      
Not an easy ad to contain ... even under Ridge Creek ‘Academy’ ... We sat on it, took it all in. A hoax? Doubtful at this juncture.

Currently posted on "Indeed," there appear to be  10 positions open. There is no Director. The facility has just been cited by the ORCC for "no Director." It has also been cited for lack of qualifications.  But not to worry, nothing will be done by the ORCC. It is not that egregious according to the ORCC's "Scope and Severity" chart.  RCS is hiring for Director of Counseling, although  Ms. Anne Edens, PhD. was just hired in February. According to "Indeed" ads, RCS is  hiring for Director of Academics, Assistant Director of Academics, Counselor, Night Security, Reflections coordinator(interventions), Headmaster, and the Special Education teacher that the ORCC and AdvancEd (SACS) will also do nothing about. It appears AdvancEd. (SACS) whom accredits RCS did their review February of 2011 and gave the facility accolades. If it was a thorough review there is no way they could have missed those teachers that were not currently certified; or, that the schools certified "Visual Arts" and "Consultative Special Ed" teacher left on 01-26-2011. Regulations state "Consultative" does not qualify a teacher to be the core Special Ed. teacher. If AdvancEd (SACS) goes back in, they'll look like fools or expose that there needs to be an overhaul of the "good ole boy" system from the top down. It appears the only people that seem to care that there is no Special Education teacher are the families of children that have 504's and IEP's (ORCC Documents). What the heck... According to parents,  there were no real Special Education services either. What is being reported is that the Special Needs services that the children did receive had to be fought for, if any at all. But, hey, we're talking about post Hidden Lake Academy, Ridge Creek School et al and the facility can basically do whatever they wish because there are no consequences from the state agencies. Why? Some of us may remember these quotes from the wonderful classic," Miracle on 34th Street":

• Fred Gailey: Your Honor, every one of these letters is addressed to Santa Claus. The Post Office has delivered them. Therefore the Post Office Department, a branch of the Federal Government, recognizes this man Kris Kringle to be the one and only Santa Claus.

• Judge Henry X. Harper: Uh, since the United States Government declares this man to be Santa Claus, this court will not dispute it. Case dismissed. 

 A little parody would go something like this:

• ORCC Director:  Now what? Every one of these complaints were delivered to our agency.  We are a State agency. The Post office, a branch of the Federal government delivered them, recognizing our agency as the only caretaker.

• DFCS Director:  Uh, since the Lumpkin County Sheriffs Department is an agency of the State government and the Lumpkin County Sheriff  "pointed out this was extremely political and this facility was well-connected in downtown(Atlanta)," we shall not dispute. Purge them, case closed.

Moving on ...

 So Ridge Creek "Academy "… nice ... is up for sale. If this isn’t just another “hoax”...
 Why hire?
    There is the need to keep the facility running and keep the in-take of students coming for cash flow.
    Hey, it just might turn around with the ‘help’ of the agencies - anything is possible  in "OZ."

• Is the current non-administrative staff aware of this?
• Are current families aware of this?
• Are prospective staff families aware of this?
   Certainly hope so. Perhaps three months’ deposit (not held in escrow), uniforms, computer,
   etc … is good enough reason. All non- refundable according to the current contract if one pulls
   their child. Maybe prepaid tuition with a promise. We had one of those.

• If the facility sells?
   Again, you would have been better off donating to St. Judes.

• Is the ORCC aware?
   That would be far too in-depth for the ORCC. Two years later the ORCC just might find a “category” to
   stick this in.

A little history:
On 08-2006 RCI was cited for 30 violations cited by the ORS (ORCC) 29 of “F” category
in severity and scope; 1 of “D” category. A myriad of violations were repeat. The class suit had
taken flight and an investigation of Hidden Lake Academy and Ridge Creek Wilderness by the
ORS was in progress - no thanks to the administrative staff. There was no fine and no adverse
action taken by the ORS. Why bother sending out your surveyors/ agents to do their job, if you
won't back them up?
Present:
Now the ORS is named the ORCC, nothing has changed, violations just keep mounting – it is just a different acronym with the old entourage not leading.

Ridge Creek School For Sale?  Ha!  What an unexpected gift for the ORCC Commissioner, Directors, and the DFCS agents that continually work their tail off for nothing ...

And that's my take.



ORS -      Office of Regulatory Services
ORCC -   Office of Residential Child Care
DFCS -    Division of Family and Children Services
SACS -     Southern Association of Colleges

RIDGE CREEK SCHOOL ORCC OVERSIGHT PARALLEL TO: Investigation Finds Dozens Of Questionable Deaths In Florida Assisted Care : NPR

There is an alarming parallel between elderly care in Nursing Homes and the care of our children in Residential Child Care Facilities. The parallel runs not only in the fact that the elderly gave us our future, our children, but the fact that we have failed both our elderly and our children in out-sourced care. This article is indicative of that failure.

http://www.npr.org/2011/05/06/135800656/dozens-of-questionable-deaths-seen-in-assisted-care

Time and again violations were found and citations were given with no consequences to a facility. Minute fines are inconsistently levied. If there are no consequences, nothing will change, and these facilities will be free to run amok. Why have oversight if it is ineffective?

Abuse is a crime, fraud is a crime, neglect is a crime ...

PARALLEL EXAMPLE : RIDGE CREEK SCHOOL
RIDGE CREEK SCHOOL, THE GEORGIA ORCC CITATIONS REPEAT VIOLATIONS AND FINES
How many violations, citations?  Enough to cover hundreds of pages. Over the years(that we are privy to) the ORCC has fined Ridge Creek School, formerly Hidden Lake Academy, only twice amidst repeat violations which included and cited "child endangerment."  The fines were miniscule reflective of a few trips to a landfill or the cost of a few high-tech shredders from Office Depot.  Certainly far less than I have paid for documents from the ORCC.
Perhaps the ORCC has forgotten their 'mission.'  Why does Georgia even bother to have oversight if there are virtually no consequences?  Why send out your investigators, who do their job, when those investigators are not backed up? The agencies appear just as free to run amok as this facility with no accountability, as apparently there are no consequences for their ineptitude thanks to sovereign immunity.  However, the ORCC is accountable to the children. Children and youth, ages 12 to 18+, that are being warehoused in a so-called, ”Therapeutic Boarding School” with mental health issues covering a wide spectrum including those that are suicidal and violent, those with a myriad of learning disabilities, and those that are adjudicated youth offenders.  Separately, with dedicated, credentialed, licensed, seasoned staff there may be hope.   This recipe has and shall continue to be a disaster. The ORCC supervisors maintain regulations need to change. Duh, ya think? Yet years ago in an email I received from former staff, “DHR workers tried hard to hold Hidden Lake Accountable supervisors backed down”(regulation of Hidden Lake Academy)[August 12th,2006].  The children do not need platitudes, nor do we that advocate for their safety and transparency in an all to shady, cloak and dagger industry.  We need mavericks that will fight for the children.  We don't need politicizing and people in supervisory positions that cite how "connected" one is in Atlanta. If we didn't advocate, with every inch of our soul, for an investigation from the cesspool to the Governor, the ORS/ORCC, would still be commiserating over when to have a sit down and discuss the now Ridge Creek School.
Am I angry?  With every breath.

Abuse, intentional fraud, neglect - is a crime.

That's my take.
 J. W.
  
NEW ORCC REPORT:  http://jilliestake.blogspot.com/p/ridge-creek-school-update-new-orcc.html

RIDGE CREEK SCHOOL - A MICROCOSM OF INEVITABLE FAILURE

More children have been hurt at Ridge Creek School (RCS), formerly known as Hidden Lake Academy (HLA), a residential teen facility in Dahlonega, Georgia. A ‘tough’ group of students appears to be causing harm. Years ago, we had a handful here and there at HLA, but nothing like the apparent gang mentality where the kicking of heads in appears to have become a favorite past time, aside from playing “Yahtzee.” “Yo-bro” has replaced “ya'll”– perhaps achieved by watching too many reruns of “The Sopranos.”

Admission of violent students is increasingly obvious and so is the fact that the staff does not appear to be able to handle them. Admission of children with serious mental and behavioral health issues was/is not appropriate when the credentials of staff monitoring these children is that of a novice at best; thus,lending itself to an environment that is dangerous for students and staff. This appears to run rampant at other residential teen facilities across the nation. Perhaps the Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office is bored out of their gourds and looks forward to dispatching units to RCS. Either way it costs the taxpayers money and K9 -1 can cock its head to the sound of “yo-bro” while lickin’ “chew” off the ground.

Years back, facilities operating like RCS were called "reform schools.” The insane incidents at RCS make the facility more congruous to that of a PRTF (Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility).