Shrub Oak International School would like to ensure everyone has accurate information regarding ProPublica’s article published on May 8, 2024 about our program.

First and foremost, we want to assure parents that their children are safe, have always been safe, and are being taught and cared for by trained and caring professionals. Should you ever have any questions or concerns about that, we encourage you to reach out to us.

In this day and age, with 1 in 36 children in the United States diagnosed with autism, it is disheartening that ProPublica, self-described as committed to "Investigative Journalism in the Public Interest," would publish an article that has the potential to harm autistic individuals by attempting to malign a program that is providing critical services to individuals in need.

While families and school districts across the country struggle to serve autistic individuals with the most profound needs, Shrub Oak provides them with a safe, supportive educational placement opportunity to ensure students receive appropriate services. It appears, however, that ProPublica, through the publication of this article, seeks to denigrate Shrub Oak, either intentionally or out of ignorance of the challenges faced by autistic individuals.

In the article, ProPublica refers to students who ingested nonedible material on campus but fails to mention that this can be attributed to one of the more complex challenges of autism called pica. ProPublica also made a derogatory reference to urine but fails to mention the challenge of fecal smearing and day and nocturnal enuresis experienced by many autistic individuals across the entire spectrum. Rather than turning those students away, which could potentially result in a complete lack of service provision for those students, Shrub Oak welcomes them with open arms.

ProPublica also highlighted the lack of horse stables at Shrub Oak but failed to mention that we regularly take our students to a local equestrian center to ensure they have access to the therapeutic benefits of interacting with horses, a point we explained to them. They also failed to mention Shrub Oak has a working farm on campus including miniature horses, goats, donkeys, chickens, pigs and rabbits. The reporters visited the farm when they toured the campus. They even took pictures of the farm and the animals – still, no mention in the article. The article mentions the lack of a swimming pool on campus but fails to mention that we take students on regular weekly visits to two different community-based pools. In both of these instances, the benefits of taking students into the community for these experiences rather than providing them on campus are significant as they are an opportunity for students to practice the skills we are teaching them in different environments.

ProPublica perseverated on the tuition charged by Shrub Oak but failed to mention the immense services required to appropriately educate our student body. The lack of appropriate funding to school districts is a leading cause of why school districts need to partner with Shrub Oak to ensure students receive the education and services they need. Instead of highlighting the need for enhanced school district funding for students with disabilities, ProPublica’s intent with this article seems to be to smear and malign Shrub Oak despite the very real and very serious potential consequences for autistic students who could lose services as a result. Many of our students have been bounced around from program to program before finding a home at Shrub Oak.

When it comes to oversight, ProPublica misled the public by failing to mention the tremendous number of licensed/certified clinicians, medical professionals, and educators at Shrub Oak working under licensure from the Department of Health and Department of Education. ProPublica also fails to mention Shrub Oak’s accreditation by the National Independent Private Schools Association (NIPSA); Middle States Association Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS), a worldwide leader in school accreditation, ethical practice, and school improvement recognized by the U.S. Department of Education; and Cognia, signifying “that a school meets or exceeds rigorous standards of educational quality and effectiveness.”

As is widely known by families and professionals alike, working with individuals with the most profound disabilities means you are working with a vulnerable population, and with that comes a responsibility to keep those in your care safe. Shrub Oak is proud of the resources it has invested in the safety, security, and well-being of our students, installing more than 400 cameras monitored around the clock as an added layer of protection for our students. We are also proud of our willingness to involve local law enforcement if any of our students are not treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. Instead of highlighting this, ProPublica appears to fault our involvement with local law enforcement, leaving out key facts, and publishing propaganda designed to malign the very organization that is helping so many students and families.

The article concludes with a quote suggesting “the promise of this place was magic,” but, shamefully, fails to include the many comments from our families indicating that the reality of Shrub Oak is magic for their children.

In all, the article was more than 4,000 words. Shrub Oak employees, current families, and families of former students spent countless hours with the reporters talking about the school in great detail and shared emotional stories of success. Out of the more than 4,000 words, they wrote approximately 345 words from those stories.

SOIS is proud of the relationships we've established with districts and humbled by the gratitude expressed by those we serve. We cater to students with the most complex profiles, including those who are medically fragile, dual-diagnosed, and with behavioral challenges. These relationships, along with the support from our families, give us the strength to continue despite false and misleading press. You’ve heard ProPublica's narrative; now hear what our actual families have to say

If you would like to discuss this matter further with a member of our team, please reach out to us at press@shruboak.org and we will coordinate a meeting with the appropriate member of our administration.