Franklin Academy-CT Survivors

03/08/2026

We've gotten much feedback from current students who enjoy FA in its current state and do not resonate with the stories on this account. That is understandable. I would hate to have my current institution be criticized for past allegations if it works for me. Nonetheless, this account is meant for honest testimonies of people who experienced life at FA. These stories are valid and we will never stop believing that. We created this account to show that neurodivergent people are worthy of the full "menu of rights", not "crumbs of compassion" as Desmond Tutu stated.

However we also understand that if FA is improving, constant reminders of past grievances may not help us progress. That's why we may deactivate this account soon.

09/25/2025

A short while ago, I made a post about Franklin Academy blocking all Google Reviews. I was wrong in that post because I didn't realize that this is a Google policy that applies to all schools.

Now this creates a new problem on a global scale. The number 1 way to express public feedback to schools -- positive, negative and constructed -- has been shut off. Now it will be much harder for survivors of anywhere, TTI or not, to post feedback. Honest reviews have been censored. This also negatively impacts benevolent schools because people cannot publicly recommend and praise them as easily.

09/06/2025

-anonymous
The lasting effects of teenage influences are undeniable, therefore programs like Franklin needed to be extra cautious/trained about how they interact with vulnerable youth

07/24/2025

-anonymous

Nightmares about being in this place are so relatable and the emotional and verbal abuse that would happen during CCC meetings showed personal insecurity in the staff more than anything 🫂

06/21/2025

So FA somehow convinced Google to disable reviews. That is pathetic and exposes them more than we could do. Google reviews are a way to check what people think of a place they have been to. People can write positive, mixed and negative reviews. Instead of convincing more people to write positive reviews, they decided to shut down them all together.

This is shameful. People should have a right to know what the school is like. Regardless survivors will continue to speak up. Hope FA improves.

05/11/2025

-anonymous

This is so relatable 😔 being in places like this can break down your mental health, put you in survival mode, encourage children to betray each other, and allow easy targets for staff.

05/11/2025

04/14/2025

Happy autism acceptance month!

03/01/2025

New admin here. One overlooked aspect of FA is their medication policy and pro-psychiatry culture, a major overlap with the TTI. Back in 2018, upwards of 70% of students were medicated, compared to around 15% of students in the general population. SSRIs and ADHD drugs can have lead lasting adverse health problems in life as well as devastating withdrawal. Thankfully commission is looking into this and may prevent future cases.

I know this from direct personal experience. When I was 16, I was sad because I lost my friends, family, got sent away 3 times in 2 years and was stuck at an institution that didn't work for me. Of course I felt depressed. Instead of working on the root causes, FA asked my parents to medicate me for which they did. Over the long run, the drugs did more harm than help in my life well after I left FA. Hopefully we end this dangerous practice and hold people accountable for it, whether parents, teachers, psychiatrists or institutions.

02/18/2025

Dear Reddit user, I saw your post criticizing this survivor's page. You are right that FA is not as abusive as many other TTI places. However this page has every right to exist and we are survivors.

FA accepted me at a hard point in my life, right after I finished a wilderness therapy program after a boarding school kicked me out. The person who took me in, Vince, has long resume of TTIs he's worked at and grieves the closings. While I was grateful to be somewhere, overall the institution did not help me in the long run. They put me on life-changing medications through persuading my parents and psychiatrist, which caused lasting health problems in the following years. While it's true they did not technically prescribe them, they were the reason I said yes. If I could see the future, I would have said hell no.

Academically, no school has mistreated me like FA has. They gave me worse grades due to how I learned, even sent home false reports. When I returned home, went to both public school and college, my grades were amazing. It's ironic that a school for "bright students with unique learning styles" turns the same students against learning. Thankfully I left when it was possible.

Back to your post, you imply that a student "not being able to get into AP English" is a trivial issue. It's not! AP classes are essential for advancing in college. No school that costs over 50k should be holding back the students. It's a scandal.

I appreciate how you admit the school is not therapeutic because they don't have therapists and allow technology. Their lack of therapists means the counselors can easily break confidentiality and tell your parents about the sessions. They allow technology as bread and circuses, so students won't realize what the school is holding from them.

A survivor does not have to be someone who was nearly murdered or starved. It can be someone who went through unnecessary experiences. This is who we are empowering on FA-CT survivors. Let me finish with a Desmond Tutu quote "I am not interested in picking up crumbs of compassion thrown from the table of someone who considers himself my master. I want the full menu of rights."

02/11/2025