Great Barrington – At a press conference in Discover Center Gymnasium Tuesday afternoon representatives of the Eagleton School affirmed that the five employees, who had been charged Monday (Feb. 1) in connection with alleged incidents of abuse of students and destruction of evidence, had been suspended with pay, pending an internal investigation.
The alleged separate incidents involved four staff members and three students.
At the same time, however, school officials strenuously denied any implication that the alleged mistreatment implied conditions at the school for boys, aged 9 through 22 with cognitive, behavioral, and developmental disabilities, were “terrible.”
“The District Attorney characterized the situation as ‘terrible’ at Eagleton School,” declared Eagleton’s long-time Boston attorney Roderick MacLeish. “The situation is not terrible. The individuals at Eagleton have significant challenges in behavior.”
The presentation included testimonials from parents of current and former students whose lives, their parents attested, had been salvaged by the Eagleton School program.
“This place save my son’s life,” said Mike, who identified himself as resident of North Jersey. “My son was violent. I was an executive who traveled all over the country but I had to quit my job to take care of him. Now I’m a housepainter. After 18 months here, my son has become an entirely different person.”
“My son was 19 years old when he came here,” said another parent, Mufa, who related how the school had transformed her son. “All across America, there is a hole in health care for these kids. This school is a model of how they can and should be cared for.”
Founded in 1977 by Bruce Bona, who is still director, the Eagleton School is a psycho-educational center with 75 students from 12 states. Annual tuition is between $141,000 and $149,000. The program is licensed by Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Department of Early Education and Care.
On Saturday night (January 30), 50 law enforcement personnel from the Massachusetts State Police, Great Barrington Police Department, members of the Berkshire Sheriffs Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation raided the school on Route 23, seizing computers, computer servers, surveillance video recordings, and other records. Police were on the Eagleton campus from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday.
At Southern Berkshire District Court on Monday, Eagleton staff members Brian Puntin, Juan Pablo Lopez-Lucas, James Swift and Peter Meadow were all arraigned – and pleaded not guilty — on charges of separate incidents of assault and battery on a disabled student, two with a dangerous weapon. Debra Davis was accused of intimidation and obstruction of justice by altering a videotape.
“Despite all this,” MacLeish, flanked by Eagleton staff and parents, told a cluster of reporters, “everyone showed up for work on Monday, providing excellent care. There was no interruption of services. We are trying to keep the students out of this.”
So far, he said, despite intense local, national and even international media coverage, no students had been withdrawn by parents or guardians.
As for the five employees accused of abusive behavior, MacLeish said Eagleton would conduct its own investigation, based on an examination of video surveillance tapes that were confiscated by law enforcement authorities. Those tapes were expected to be returned to the school by the end of the week, he said.
“It is unclear to us exactly what happened to provoke these charges, since we haven’t viewed the tapes,” MacLeish added.
Ironically, he said, the investigation into alleged abuse began with a report of an incident filed in early January by an Eagleton staff member, as required by the school’s internal guidelines.
“If any alleged abuse takes place, the staff is trained to report it, and that led to the Great Barrington Police,” he said. “It’s legitimate and proper for the state to regulate schools like this. We are obligated to report an unusual response by staff. Our rule is, ‘when in doubt, report’.”
In addition, he noted, the staff is required to be taken intensive training in Non-Abusive Psychological and Physical Intervention (NAPPI) techniques whose guiding principle is “a humane approach to behavior management,” according to the NAPPI International web site.
In October, MacLeish noted, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education gave its highest rating to Eagleton, after a review of its program. “There were no regulatory restrictions issued against Eagleton School,” he said. “And what are the alternatives for the students here who have significant disabilities. These disabilities aren’t their fault. The alternatives for these individuals could be jail, locked wards, or homelessness.”
He pointed out that all the charges relate to employees who work during the day in the autism center.
Attorney Kathleen McCormick, the local attorney for Eagleton who was present during the Saturday night raid, praised the conduct of the law enforcement officials.
“They arrived in plain clothes, and Eagleton did cooperate completely,” she said. “They acted with great professionalism.”
