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----- Original Message -----

From: [Sender Removed to Protect Anonymity]

To: HEAL

Sent: Friday, November 11, 2011 7:01 AM

Subject: Re: The Hyde School Staff List Update

 

I have some more information, but this is just background.

 

We have a punishment system in place here that may seem very abusive to some, but simple to others. It is based on a code of ethics: Sex Ethic, Drug Ethic, Attitude, Lying, Stealing, Brother's Keeper (snitching), and Becoming of a Student. When a student violates one of these Ethics, they go to the Deans (Tom Bragg, Kevin Folan, Mike Aronski, Casey Turner, and Joshua Welch) to see what the punishment should be. for very minor breaks in ethics, which include swearing at a teacher, or staying up passed lights out, they hand out 5:30s. a 5:30 is when you wake up at 5;30 am and go do a workout (pushups, sprints, whatever the faculty member running it feels like making you do) for one hour until regular wake up at 6:30. Times for 5:30s change depending if we have late sleep in or normal wake up. Then, for cases slightly bigger than that, they give Sunday Work Projects or SWPs. On an SWP you have to wake up for the 5:30, then go do manual labor or work in the kitchen until breakfast, do more labor all day long until dinner, and after that they might have you do a study hall for the rest of the night. Occasionally SWPs go off campus to do some work on a farm or other things. In very bad cases, such as sex ethic, stealing, lying or Brothers keeper, and sometimes attitude if the Dean isn't in the best mood, they will put you on 2-4 (Going out to Work.) It is called 2-4 because you're usually on for 2 to 4 days, sometimes more if you tick off the teachers. The Dean's call it work crew. Every day that you are on 2-4, you have to wake up, do a 5:30, then work until breakfast, after breakfast, work until dinner, and then a study hall for the rest of the night. Similar to SWP. Some of the work included is raking leaves, hauling metal, and chopping wood in the fall, shoveling snow in the winter, and doing field work in the spring. Working in the kitchen is a year round option. In extreme cases, they might send you to outpost, which is Hyde's version of wilderness. In outpost, you go with a teacher or someone and spend a few days in the woods, trying to "learn about yourself" I don't have that many details because I have personally never been but I have been told it isn't the most pleasant thing. 

 

Other than the Ethics system, the also have kids do Lunch and Dinner crew once a week, and every few weeks have breakfast crew. For lunch and dinner crews, they split kids up into their teams and each day of the week have a different sports team do work in the kitchen after meals. For breakfast crew, kids have to go 15 minutes early to breakfast, set everything up for the day and then do the same thing as lunch and dinner crews, except Breakfast crews are split up as the floors for the Dorm Buildings. 

 

Thank You for all of this, and Im glad I can help

 

[Name Removed to Protect Anonymity]

HEAL would advise students and families to report possible labor law violations to the Maine Department of Labor. (http://www.maine.gov/labor/)  Describe the work provided, whether on-site or for a neighboring farm or business and what, if any, compensation you received for your labor.  If The Hyde School is violating labor laws, the Maine Department of Labor is the resource that should be contacted to request an investigation.

Also, work should be a rewarding experience and should not be used as a punishment.  To use work/labor as a punishment conditions youth to hate and dislike work and see it as a punishment or mark against their character if they must work.  This is contrary to creating a strong work ethic in which an individual feels work earns them self-worth, self-esteem, self-respect, and an honest living.  The excesses of Hyde's use of work as their primary form of punishment is a serious concern.

REPORTING GUIDE FOR VICTIMS, SURVIVORS, AND WHISTLEBLOWERS:
 
In Connecticut, the criminal statutes of limitation are 1 year on misdemeanors, 5 years on most felonies, and no statute of limitations on more serious felonies including rape, murder and kidnapping.  For civil suits in Connecticut, the statute of limitations is 2 years.  In Maine, the criminal statutes of limitation are 3 years on misdemeanors, 6 years on most felonies, and there is no statute of limitations on murder nor the rape of a minor under age 16 at time of offense.  For civil suits in Maine, the statute of limitations is 6 years.  In New York, the criminal statutes of limitation are 2 years on misdemeanors, 5 years on most felonies, and no statute of limitations for the crimes of rape and murder.  For civil suits in New York, the statute of limitations is 3 years.  Here are your options:
 
1.  Report crimes such as fraud, assault, battery, false imprisonment, labor trafficking, and child abuse to law enforcement in Connecticut, Maine, and/or New York.  You can call the Bath, ME Police at (207) 443-5563, New Haven, CT Police at  (203) 946-6316, or Bronx, NY Police at  (718) 402-2270   to inquire about filing an official complaint which may provide the probable cause needed to get a warrant for investigation and/or prosecution. 
 
2.  File a consumer complaint with your home state's attorney general against The Hyde School (Hyde) and include your request for compensation for any harm done to you.  You can find the easy online forms for filing such a complaint (which may result in an investigation, prosecution, and/or civil resolution on your case) under your home state's (state where you currently reside) header at https://www.heal-online.org/report.htm .  If your home state is Connecticut or you'd like to file with the Connecticut State Attorney General as a non-resident, here is that link:  https://portal.ct.gov/DCP/Complaint-Center/Consumers---Complaint-Center  If your home state is Maine or you'd like to file with the Maine State Attorney General as a non-resident, here is that link: https://www.maine.gov/ag/consumer/complaints/   And, if your home state is New York or you'd like to file with the New York State Attorney General as a non-resident, here is that link: https://ag.ny.gov/consumer-frauds/Filing-a-Consumer-Complaint 
 
3.  If you do not wish to file a consumer complaint, you can contact a private personal injury attorney and look into suing in tort/civil court.  However, if you can't afford the retainer, you should expect to settle out of court with a non-disclosure agreement which may bar you from speaking publicly about the incident because you've agreed (even if with a grumbling assent) to the terms of the settlement.  You can find legal resources at https://www.heal-online.org/legal.htm  and legal causes of action related to institutionalized abuse claims at https://www.heal-online.org/legalarguments.htm .
 
4.  You may post a statement about your experience at your program on our unmoderated message board at http://pub40.bravenet.com/forum/show.php?usernum=3407841501&cpv=2  OR send a new e-mail to rev@cope.church with subject "Post My Feedback" and we will post your feedback (e-mail printed to .pdf disclosing your name and e-mail address and any information in your e-mail with that subject) to https://www.cope.church/feedback.htm  and add a direct link to those .pdf files to this page . 

 5. You may also wish to provide a guest sermon.  Guest sermons are posted at https://www.cope.church/sermons.htm , under Progress Reports/Guest Sermons at https://www.heal-online.org  where appropriate, and on program info pages when applicable.  So, one provided by you on your program would also be placed on this page .  Guest sermons should be written into the body of an e-mail and sent to rev@cope.church . Your first and last name will be disclosed (contact info will not be unless you expressly ask for that).  For sermons available on our site see https://www.cope.church/sermons.htm  (and sermon archives linked on that page).  If you have questions about this option, please contact rev@cope.church. Please see https://www.cope.church/givetoday.pdf  to get an idea what your sermon may be worth.