eagleton school
The Eagleton School in Great Barrington, Mass. Amid allegations of abuse and wrongdoing, Eagleton School was notified Thursday two state oversight agencies will revoke their licenses to operate. (Gillian Jones/The Berkshire Eagle via AP)
(Associated Press photo)
GREAT BARRINGTON - Already embroiled in a scandal where several employees are charged with assaulting disabled students, the Eagleton School was rocked Thursday with the announcement that two state oversight agencies are withdrawing their support for the school's ability to operate.
The Department of Early Education and Care notified the school is it is moving to revoke Eagleton's residential group care licenses, and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has withdrawn its approval of its special education license.
The school needs approval from both agencies to operate.
Eagleton has 21 days to file an appeal of the Early Education and Care decision. The Elementary and Secondary Education withdrawal of its approval is contingent upon the first agency's revocation going into effect.
A joint statement issued by the two agencies indicates that the move was necessary "due to ongoing and increased concerns about the safety and well-being of the school's residents, its failure to fully comply with state sanctions and a growing body of evidence that problems at the school are systemic."
Eagleton is a private school founded in 1977. It provides residential education for as many as 76 male students between the ages of nine and 22 who have cognitive, behavioral and developmental disabilities, including autism and Asperger's Syndrome.
The residents of the school will soon begin being transferred to other programs.
In a statement issued by the school, Bruce Bona, Eagleton founder and executive director, said "As always, the priority of Eagleton remains the welfare of our students. Eagleton is totally committed to working with the state to ensure the safety and welfare of our students."
The statement also says that Eagleton is "actively negotiating with multiple residential and special education providers to take over (its) operations."
Kathleen Hart, spokeswoman for the Department of Early Education and Care, said Thursday night that licenses from the agency are not transferable from one operator to another.
Eagleton's problems came to light in early January when a team of 50 state, federal and local law enforcement executed a search warrant, citing allegations of a "significant pattern of physical and emotional abuse."
Four staff members were arrested on assault charges and a fifth for obstruction of justice and intimidating a witness.
Since then the school has been under investigation by multiple oversight authorities from inside Massachusetts and from other states that have students enrolled there.
Eagleton officials have repeatedly said that the allegations of abuse were related to the actions of a few staff and not representative of the school's values or how it operates.
The school announced Feb. 11 that it had fired several staff for rules violations and that it was hiring an outside consultant, Charles Conroy, the former longtime executive director for the Doctor Franklin Perkins School in Lancaster, to conduct an independent review of how the school operates.
On Feb. 17, Early Childhood and Care issued sanctions against against Eagleton, and Elementary and Secondary Education announced it had placed it on probation. The move provided the school the opportunity address what had been identified as shortfalls in the operation.
The revocation notice issued on Thursday notes the school administration failed to do so.
The revocation notice notes that Eagleton's "failure to comply with the regulations of the commonwealth demonstrates that it is not capable of providing an environment that ensures the safety and well-being of residents in its care."
The revocation notice cites several instances where the school and its staff violated provisions of the sanctions, including multiple occasions were staff had contact with residents that was not monitored, and that the school continued to employ staff who "engage in abusive and cruel behavior, and conduct improper restraints, resulting in injury."
State notice of revocation against Eagleton School
Eagleton Revocation Order (Redacted)_3.17.16redacted by Patrick Johnson