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NOMOCHOMO ago

St Basil's Academy, Scopas' orphanage, was accused of "harboring" an "illegal immigrant"

The academy claims The Greek national Mother brought her daughter over to be an "ORGAN DONOR," then "left her to the church"....

https://www.law.com/almID/1163671526261/?hubtype=ProBono&id=1163671526261&slreturn=20180923215416

Pro Bono Effort Thwarts State Attempt to Decertify Orphanage:

The latest development in a long-running legal battle between a Hudson Valley orphanage and a public school district that has resisted accepting some two dozen orphans into its classrooms involves the claim by a state agency that the institution is “HARBORING” an ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT. On Nov. 3, an administrative law judge in Albany shot down the claim – advanced by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services – as arbitrary and capricious. The state licensing agency had attempted to withhold operating certification for the orphanage, Saint Basil Academy in Garrison, which has been operated since 1944 by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. At issue was the presence of a 14-year-old resident – “K.T.” as she is known in documents submitted to Administrative Law Judge William B. Day – who was ABANDONED in New York City four years ago by her MOTHER, a Greek national. According to legal papers, K.T. WAS BROUGHT TO NY AT AGE 10 AS A POSSIBLE ORGAN DONER for her 20-year-old brother, who later died at Sloan-Kettering Memorial Hospital. DISTRAUGHT AT HER SONS DEATH, THE MOTHER LEFT “KT” TO THE CHURCH AND RETURNED TO GREECE. “St. Basil is not ‘harboring’ K.T. as an illegal alien, as her presence in this country and her whereabouts have been made known to appropriate federal officials at all relevant times,” the decision said. “No action has been taken by those federal authorities or any other law enforcement entity against St. Basil in connection with their continued efforts to keep K.T. in their facility while seeking to resolve the child’s immigration status.” Lawyers for the Office of Children and Family Services did not appear at the Nov. 3 hearing, nor did they file documents challenging the position of K.T.’s attorney – James M. Stillwaggon, of counsel at White & Case and chairman of its pro bono committee. Previous attempts by counsel for the Garrison school district to intervene on behalf of the state agency’s earlier attempts to decertify Saint Basil, in 2004 and 2005, were rejected on grounds of improper standing. Attorneys for both sides declined to comment on why the state agency has been so insistent in attempting to decertify the orphanage.

NOMOCHOMO ago

St. Basil's operated as an unlicensed orphanage since 1997

http://www.orthodoxchristianity.net/forum/index.php?topic=2857.0

GARRISON, NY — In a letter dated January 2, the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) formerly notified St. Basil Academy Executive Director Fr. Constantine Sitaras that the institution had been denied an operating certificate. While the property continues to be owned by National Philoptochos, the archdiocese has long administered the academy as one of its ministries. In recent years, St. Basil has transformed itself from being a boarding school to providing residential care for an estimated 24 children. In denying the application for an operating license, the State of New York cited a number of reasons for its decision, including “a history of unlicensed operation” beginning in 1997. Once St. Basil ceased operation of its educational program, it was no longer exempt from compliance with New York’s Interstate Compact in the Placement of Children (ICPC). Nevertheless, according to the State of NY’s document denying certification, St. Basil continued to accept placement of children from outside New York state without first going through ICPC. The question concerning financial responsibility for the support of those children has resulted. Because St. Basil no longer operates as a boarding school for instruction in elementary subjects, “it has no authority to provide residential care for children outside the context of a boarding school.” According to the State of New York, “St. Basil has not taken steps to ensure that children in their care receive an appropriate education in accordance with the requirements of education law.” While in recent years the children of St. Basil would receive their education in the Highland Falls school district, that school has now refused to accept the children due to the institution’s alleged failure to pay more than $236,000 in tuition costs owed to the district. In September 2003, St. Basil then sought to enroll the children in the Garrison school district without payment of $46,000 in tuition costs to date, which the district said it is owed. As a result, the State of New York alleges in its denial for certification “St. Basil failed to meet its financial obligations, which calls into question the willingness of the agency to make the financial resources available to properly operate the program.” While St. Basil has 60 days within which to challenge the state’s denial of certification, the NY Division of Development and Prevention Services has directed the institution to “cease and desist any further operation for the residential care of children by January 31.”

ST. BASIL ACADEMY TO CLOSE DAVID NOVICH THE JOURNAL NEWS (January 6, 2004) “St. Basil officials have said the children have no parents to care for them and have made the academy and the school district their home. But Garrison officials disagree and have said the children go home for the summer, make telephone calls to their parents and are covered by their medical insurance. Garrison Schools Superintendent Ellen Bergman had mixed feelings about the denial of the license. She said St. Basil students have done well at the school but have been a heavy expense for the district. Last month, school officials had to borrow $410,000 to cover the costs of the St. Basil students. In 1997, the academy stopped educating its children because of a lack of funds and started sending them to the neighboring Highland Falls-Fort Montgomery schools in Orange County and paying tuition. In addition, the academy was chartered as a boarding school, not as a residential-care facility.”

carmencita ago

While all the fighting and arguing is going on, back and forth, all I have to say is Why Are Those Children There? And what are they doing during the day and night? Something seems seriously wrong that those Children are not in school and it also seems that no one is sincerely concerned about their welfare. Back and forth and Back and forth and treating them like a tennis game. All the while nothing is resolved. Someone is playing games and I think it is St. Basil Academy.

NOMOCHOMO ago

They were being bussed to a local school. The students however, aren't residents, and the orphanage doesn't pay any taxes to support the school.

The school realized most if not all of the children aren't actually orphans, and cried foul as they were going into debt for their education. They demanded the orphanage pay for tuition, which it refused.

Something weird is going on there. It's proximity to Westpoint NY activates my almonds.

carmencita ago

My thoughts too. But what are they doing that can't be detected? If they Children were being sent to a school why would no one notice if something is wrong? I am also convinced they are hiding something.

NOMOCHOMO ago

Its been detected and revealed multiple times. I expect nothing is done due to "friends in high places"

Notably they didnt go after the school until after Scopas died in 1999

carmencita ago

Well something was probably being covered up until he died, and evidently still is. Even if they went after the school the news about what they were up to still is unknown.