New York Boarding School recruited students through fraud. Kids then endured torturous conditions where they were forced to eat their own vomit

The horrific tale of the now-defunct Family Foundation School in Hancock, New York, has gotten new details after a survivor filed a lawsuit in the Brooklyn Federal court, with the request that they stay anonymous. Per the NY Post, the survivor’s account noted that the facility functioned less like a therapeutic boarding school and more like a site of systematic torture. 

Once inside the secluded campus, students were reportedly strip-searched upon arrival and forced into sexualized group sessions with teachers. The survivor also gave accounts of students being encased in rolled-up rugs bound with duct tape, kept prisoner in closets without necessities like food or water, and forced to dig their own graves before being made to lie down in them. The former enrollee also alleged that they were forced to eat their own vomit.

According to the outlet, court papers also claim that students worked like slaves for the financial benefit of the Argiros family. Tasks reportedly included digging excavation trenches, shoveling snow, cleaning pig pens, and performing construction labor on the family’s private residence. The school charged families $80,000 per year, and allegedly recruited students through fraud, convincing parents to sign over legal guardianship to the owners, Michael and Cindy Argiros.

A big event in this case was the conviction of one of the teachers

The former music teacher of Family Foundation school, Paul Geer, was tried and sentenced last year. As reported by The New York Times, Geer was sentenced to 27 years and three months in federal prison on September 4 for sexually abusing students during his time at the school. 

During the trial, the outlet noted that witnesses were shown photographs of the facility, including the tiny, windowless isolation rooms where children were held for days. Elizabeth Boysick, a former student, testified, “This is the isolation room where I had to stay for five days. It’s very hard to look at. Nobody should be treated like this. Especially children.”

The school, founded in the 1980s by Tony and Betty Argiros, reportedly operated under the guise of a 12-step program for troubled teens. However, former students testified that the staff lacked any professional licensing or clinical training. Geer, who was a central figure in the abuse, openly described himself as a sex addict to students. 

Testimony also revealed that he forced children to discuss their sex lives in front of their assigned school families. One victim, identified as Mike Milia, testified that Geer took him on a trip to Maine in 1994, where he sexually abused him for several days instead of the promised fishing trip. He also shared his pain in court, describing how the abuse left him with lasting trauma, including depression and a shattered sense of safety.

According to WIVT Binghamton, U.S. District Judge Mae D’Agostino condemned the school’s practices during the sentencing, labeling the treatment of students as torture and noting it was likely against the Geneva Conventions. WIVT noted that Greer’s sentencing was a long-awaited validation for Greer’s victims. 

“It’s been a long time coming. The things that I witnessed him doing at the school were very horrific and vile and disgusting. It’s taken us a very long time to be believed. I’m very pleased with the sentence,” said former student Grace Cole.

The outlet reported that Judge D’Agostino also questioned why other staff members and local authorities failed to intervene. The lawsuit against the Argiros family, the village of Hancock, and local police reportedly alleges that officials ignored reports of abuse because of the influence held by Michael and Cindy Argiros. While Michael Argiros claimed in depositions that he was unaware of any abuse, the survivors remain steadfast in their pursuit of justice. 

Former student Liz Ianelli noted the importance of the court record per WIVT, saying, “Especially from a federal judge to really lay the groundwork for what, in fact, we’ve all been using our voices for so long to describe the atrocities that took place at the Family. It’s very validating and reassuring.”

The school, which later operated as Allynwood Academy, finally closed its doors in 2014. While the physical buildings may be gone, the survivors are calling for further investigation into the other crimes committed at the facility. As former student Katrina Geanuracos put it, “Everybody thinks, ‘Oh, these boarding school are created to help us.’ When in all reality, it’s destroying us to the cores of us and we struggle for years.” 

This year, there have been a few other victories for victims of abuse. Ohio State reached a $100 million settlement with 279 victims of the school doctor, Richard Strauss. Additionally, CNN ran an investigation and released a detailed report that a well-respected children’s shelter was confining, beating, and monitoring the children in their care.