Great Barrington — The state on Thursday (March 17) said in a memorandum it had decided to shut down Eagleton School after a criminal investigation into allegations of abuse and neglect of its disabled students led to a handful of arrests, many firings and state sanctions.
The “Order to Protect Children” that will revoke the private school’s residential group care licenses noted that since sanctions were imposed on the school on Februrary 17, Early Education and Care (EEC) learned of numerous violations of the sanctions, including more abuse and neglect. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) also withdrew approval of the special education program over “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.”
As the investigation by the Berkshire County District Attorney’s office continued, the school was put on probation by the state, which learned of a pattern of violence against students, continued failures of the administration to manage and report it, and a “systemic propensity” to hide evidence and cover up incidents, including some in which students were struck while held in restraints.
It is still an open investigation.
It began when Great Barrington Police were called to the school the last couple of years. The Department began an investigation that led to a massive multi-law enforcement agency search of the school on January 31. That led to criminal charges against four employees for assault and battery and one for tampering with video surveillance and witness intimidation. The school has 24-hour video surveillance.
In the February 3 arraignments in Southern Berkshire District Court, Brian Puntin, Juan Pablo Lopez-Lucas, James Swift and Peter Meadow were all arraigned 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. None of the defendants have criminal records.
Late Thursday afternoon (March 17) local Eagleton attorney Kathleen McCormick issued a statement on behalf of the school, conceding that “in a meeting today between Eagleton School and state regulatory agencies, EEC issued a Notice of Revocation and DESE issued a Notification of Withdrawal of Approval. Eagleton is actively negotiating with multiple residential and special education providers to take over the operations of Eagleton School.
“Bruce Bona, executive director of Eagleton School, says ‘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’.”
Eagleton School is a year-round residential school off Route 23 for boys and young men ages 9-22 who have developmental, cognitive and psychiatric disabilities. For most students the $141,000 to $149,000 tuition is paid in some combination by school districts and the state. It has been described as a last resort for students for whom other school or institutional settings did not work, and a more holistic treatment, living and learning environment.
Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli (D-Lenox) said the school will not be immediately shut down to give the state and families time to find new placements for its male students, aged 9-22 who have mental and cognitive disabilities. “It will be a matter of weeks or a few months,” Pignatelli said. “It may be hard to place some of these kids, so it could take a little bit of time.”
The two agencies said that during the transitions, they will “continue to assist law enforcement in their ongoing investigation.”
Pignatelli said he was also concerned about the “ripple effect and the impact on a community” that relies on the school for a number of jobs and taxes to the town.
Apparently, the state is alarmed that the abuses at Eagleton happened under their watch. The Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) was pulled in to review all public and private residential and day educational programs for children and young adults with “complex needs.” The memorandum said the OCA has already put together a working group of “key state agencies” to “assess risk, share and analyze information, and coordinate on-site reviews.”
“The group’s first priority will be meeting with the leaders of residential schools that have approved educational programs to serve children with emotional, psychological or sexualized behavior issues, pervasive developmental disorders, or autism,” the order said.
A number of incidents brought to EEC’s attention involved improper use of restraints that involved using them when unnecessary, and of striking students while held. The school claims to have adopted a system called Non Abusive Psychological and Physical Intervention (NAPPI) and uses that system to train its employees. The state’s February sanctions said the President of NAPPI, David Farrell must be taken off the school’s board and restraint advisory board, and the state also said the school’s NAPPI system may not be appropriate. Eagleton Executive Director Bruce Bona is a part owner of NAPPI.
One of the more recent sanction violations, according to the order, was on March 10, when “Eagleton’s attorney requested EEC waive the requirement that a full background record check (specifically, the fingerprint-based check of the federal and state criminal history databases) be completed prior to employment. Attorney Roderick MacLeish, one of three Eagleton attorneys, had told the Edge that the state was speeding up the background checks to expedite the increased hiring requirements. The sanctions had said the school must replace certain staff immediately, and increase the staff to student ratio.
Neither MacLeish nor school officials could be reached for comment.
