Recently our family decided to leave Hyde. We have the same concerns as many people who are posting on this website: We've become very concerned about Hyde's narrow-minded view of adolescent behavior, their unwillingness to pay close attention to our child's mental health issues, the very uneven quality of the teaching and academic program, and the amateur handling of incredibly intimate self-disclosures in seminars. Our family had no idea that Hyde was such a controversial school and has such significant limitations. What one of us recently witnessed in our FLC was the straw that broke the camel's back; we couldn't believe how traumatized some FLC participants were and how unskilled the Hyde facilitator was. (The alumni parent in the group was worse: he was emotionally abusive and arrogant -- it's incredible that Hyde allows this sort of behavior. What poor role modeling for students!).
As part of our process we recently contacted a very well known, skilled educational consultant. This educational consultant clearly knows a great deal about schools for struggling teens around the U.S. She is also VERY familiar with Hyde. This educational consultant told us, emphatically, that she will NEVER refer another family to Hyde. She told us that she has heard so many reports in recent years about Hyde's shortsighted handling of students' and families' complex issues (mental health, substance abuse, etc.); students who have run away from the school; the arrogant attitudes expressed by some staff; the inferior teaching in some courses; the high number of inexperienced staff who are expected to deal with very challenging behavioral, emotional, and psychiatric issues; the unhappiness among many students; and the destructive experiences many FLC participants have when very personal details of their lives are exposed.
This educational consultant is adamant that parents of struggling teens should look for schools that are much healthier than Hyde. Our family is now learning about some very appealing alternatives to Hyde; I wish we had known about them earlier. We've recently talked, very quietly, with other Hyde families that are leaving, or considering leaving, for similar reasons. It's so hard at Hyde to be vocal about these concerns. Few people seem to trust that Hyde staff would handle criticism in a good way. We suspect that families that are unhappy with Hyde don't know that many others feel the same way (in spite of the enthusiasm in the auditorium when parents gather).
Also, as part of our search for a new school we recently spent a long time talking with another school's headmaster. She asked us about our child's experience at Hyde. We summarized the experience as objectively as possible. The headmaster was very candid: Her school has enrolled a number of former Hyde students whose families pulled them out of Hyde for similar reasons. She talked about how destructive Hyde seems to be for some students and how she is very, very concerned about what she described as Hyde's "doctrinaire" approach.
Anyway, the educational consultant's views confirm what our family has come to learn: While Hyde may benefit some, the risks associated with the school are simply too great. If you're searching for a school, find a very knowledgeable educational consultant who is familiar with Hyde's problems, rocky reputation, scandals, and knows about schools with much more solid reputations.
