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Education

Inside Shrub Oak

An Unregulated Boarding School for Autistic Students

Shrub Oak International School, a private, for-profit boarding school in New York, promises personalized assistance for autistic students with complex needs. But it operates with little oversight, and students have suffered.

Impact of Our Reporting
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Inside Shrub Oak

Three States Have Warned Against Sending Students to an Unregulated Boarding School for Youth With Autism

After visiting Shrub Oak International School, officials from Connecticut, Washington and Massachusetts have advised districts of troubling conditions at the school where a ProPublica investigation uncovered reports of abuse and neglect.

by Jennifer Smith Richards and Jodi S. Cohen,

5 stories published since 2024

Neglect at Boarding School for Autistic Youth Left a Student With Vision Loss, Lawsuit Alleges

by Jodi S. Cohen and Jennifer Smith Richards,

Two Reporters Covering Education in the Midwest Followed the Money … to a School in New York

by Jennifer Smith Richards and Jodi S. Cohen,

New York Education Department Hindered an Abuse Investigation at Boarding School for Autistic Youth

by Jennifer Smith Richards and Jodi S. Cohen,

Illinois School Districts Sent Kids to a For-Profit Out-of-State Facility That Isn’t Vetted or Monitored

by Jodi S. Cohen and Jennifer Smith Richards,

This School for Autistic Youth Can Cost $573,200 a Year. It Operates With Little Oversight, and Students Have Suffered.

by Jennifer Smith Richards and Jodi S. Cohen,

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