Facility profile Georgia

Ridge Creek

Open Dahlonega, Georgia

At a glance

Corrections, documents and first-hand accounts go into the review queue and are checked before they are published.

Ridge Creek is a long-term wilderness program in Dahlonega, Georgia.

J.O.R., et al. v. Hidden Lake Academy, Inc., et al. 2006 | Closed | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Gainesville Division | 2:06-cv-00146-WCO Names this facility
Outcome: The court granted the motion to approve the distribution of settlement proceeds and the case is concluded post-judgment.

Four families identified by initials filed a class action complaint on September 11, 2006 in federal court in Gainesville, Georgia against Hidden Lake Academy, its related nonprofit entities, and founder Dr. Leonard Buccellato. The complaint alleges that from 2000 onward the therapeutic boarding school misrepresented that its teachers were state certified and its counselors clinically trained, let unlicensed staff dispense medication, and enrolled violent students despite telling parents it did not. It also alleges routine strip searches, student labor, and undisclosed charges and mark-ups on top of an advertised all-inclusive tuition of over $5,900 a month. The copy on file is the first 27 pages of the complaint and does not show how the case ended.

Woodbury Reports Oct 1, 2001 General

Seen and Heard - October 2001

This industry newsletter compilation details various administrative updates, staff appointments, program expansions, and leadership changes across multiple therapeutic boarding schools, wilderness programs, and youth residential facilities for October 2001. Notices include new program accreditations, facility curriculum updates, and personnel transitions within the troubled teen industry.
Seen 'n Heard Oct 1, 2001 General

Seen 'n Heard - October 2001 Issue (page 1).

The October 2001 issue of Seen 'n Heard reports a series of updates from various private schools and wilderness programs, including new leadership appointments, program openings, and accreditation approvals. No incidents of abuse or misconduct are reported. The piece serves as a directory of industry developments.