Hawthorne Cedar Knolls Residential Treatment Center To Close

MOUNT PLEASANT, NY — The Hawthorne Cedar Knolls Residential Treatment Center, dogged by controversy and despised by neighbors, will close in six to nine months, according to The Examiner. The announcement was made at a meeting in Mount Pleasant Wednesday.

The news comes two weeks after a 17-year-old from the campus, not the residence, broke into a local home, and other residents went AWOL.

Town Supervisor Carl Fulgenzi and state Sen. Terrence Murphy sent a letter Jan. 24 to Gov. Andrew Cuomo demanding New York State Police patrol the campus.

"Residents do not want to hear that we are observing and formulating an action plan. While those are necessary steps, now is the time for action. Already there have been three more residents spotted off campus in Hawthorne last evening at the same time the campus is supposed to be on lock down. Neighbors have already reported residents off campus as early as 5am today with staff attempting to track them down," the two said in the letter.

The Jewish Board administers three residential treatment facilities on the Hawthorne Campus including the Hawthorne Cedar Knolls Residential Treatment Center. The teens who live there are mostly placed by courts or social agencies. They have suffered physical and sexual abuse, severe neglect, the loss of family members and friends, often under horrific circumstances. They receive intensive services and treatment. Most stay nine to 12 months.

Last year, in response to incidents and complaints, particularly about residents going AWOL and being rude to neighbors, The Jewish Board asked New York State for more funding and the authority to reject inappropriate placements.

The residential treatment center is the facility that will close on the campus, The Examiner reported. The Jerome M. Goldsmith Center and the Mann Center, which serve youth with mental health issues, will stay open.

The Hawthorne Cedar Knolls school will also stay open. It is a totally separate entity and is run by The Hawthorne Cedar Knolls Union Free School District.

PHOTO/ Sen. Murphy's Office

SEE ALSO:

• Concerns about Hawthorne Cedar Knolls: The Jewish Board Responds
  
• Hawthorne-Cedar Knolls Treatment Facility Stops Taking New Placements
  
• Murphy Wants To Fence In Hawthorne-Cedar Knolls