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The owners of Bell Academy - Dace Goulding, Jade Robinson, and Karr Farnsworth - repeatedly claimed the facility was not affiliated with WWASPS. However, these facts appear to state otherwise:
And there are the following posts made to the internet message board just for parents of WWASPS "students": "I thought that one of the original reasons that Casa by the Sea was in Mexico was that the laws in California were such that a program of the type of Casa would not be possible...too many regulations requiring the stay be voluntary. I was rather surprised to hear, then, that a facility in California--Bell Academy--was even opening.
I'm not that surprised, therefore, that it is closing. I am more surprised that the owners thought they could make it fly. I understand well how it served the needs of upper levels who had family in California, and how much easier it was for the families. What was the reason that Bell Academy opened in the first place?"
D**** And: "The "owners" as you referred to them were from Casa. The reason it opened was because WWASP wanted a facility in CA to help parents cut costs of travel and also because there are an enormous amount of parents in CA seeking help for their kids. I met with another parent from my area and we are going to do some outreach to CA law makers. Hope you will all join in."
K**** |
A Terra Bella boarding school closed its doors over the weekend after coming out on the losing end of a five-month struggle with the California Department of Social Services.
"The reason we shut down Bell Academy is because they were operating as an unlicensed facility," said Andrew Roth, spokesperson for the state agency. School director Jade Robinson sounded disconsolate Thursday as he spoke by phone about having to close the school. "It's disappointing," he said. "We put in a lot of work here. It's a shame that the state wasn't willing to work with us."
Robinson said he opened the academy about one year ago with the intent of providing at-risk youth with an education, as well as life and leadership skills.
The school had about 24 students in April when state representatives paid a visit and determined that administrators were in violation of civil law.
Robinson argued that the academy wasn't required to have a license because it was a school.
State officials disagreed.
"Our analysts went out to the school and reached the conclusion that the kind of things they were offering did indeed more closely resemble a group home," Roth said.
Group homes cannot operate without a state-approved license.
Robinson said he showed state officials that the school was certified with the California Department of Education, but they refused to change their position.
"We asked them what is it we need to change, but they were unwilling to tell us," he said. "That's the thing that was frustrating."
Robinson appealed the decision, but his appeal was denied last week by Superior Court Judge Patrick O'Hara, who sided with the state.
Robinson said the school was facing $200-per-day fines for each day it operated without a license, so he was left with no option but to shut it down.
And that's a shame, said Kitty Melicia, who credits the school with teaching her daughter leadership skills.
"The staff was excellent. They worked miracles," Melicia said. "My daughter graduated when she was 15 and is now attending Monterey Peninsula Community College."
Robinson said he is not certain where his former students now attend school. That decision is up to their parents, he said.
State officials say that Robinson still has the option of applying for a license.
"If he wants to go through the licensing procedure, we'll be more than happy to help him do that," Roth said.
Henry Winckel can be reached at 784-5000 ext. 1043 or Henry_Winckel@link.freedom.com
