April 8, 2010
CT Woman Arrested; Faked BCBA and Other Credentials
The Putnam County Sheriff's DepartmentD worked with detectives from Norwalk, Conn. and arrested Carmel resident Stacy Lore, 33, at her home last Sunday. Lore, who operated Spectrum Kids, LLC, stands accused of fabricating professional credentials that allowed her to provide therapy for autistic pre-school children in the Norwalk Public School District. Charging $125 an hour for her services, Lore billed the Norwalk schools more than $155,000 and two Connecticut families more than $30,000 in 2007 and 2008. Lore claimed to hold a doctorate from New York University as well as specialized Behavior Analyst Certification Board training. Norwalk detective David Orr said the investigation revealed she holds a General Education Degree, also known as a GED or a high school equivalency certificate, from BOCES.
"We put in hundreds of man-hours on this case," said Orr, the lead investigator. "But it is so important because it is about children. She worked with them during that very narrow window when they can be helped. They can't get that time back." Following her arrest on March 25, Lore was arraigned in Putnam County Court as a "fugitive from justice." She waived extradition and was returned to Connecticut on March 30 where she was charged with first-degree larceny, seconddegree forgery and one count of criminal impersonation. She is currently being held in Connecticut on $200,000 bond. "Excellent work was done by the Norwalk police," said Jerry Shremek, chief investigator for the Putnam County Sheriff 's Department. "We were happy to help."
Last June, Putnam County Sheriff's Detective Nicholas Deperno assisted Orr in executing a search warrant of Lore's home at 39 Scottsdale Road. The search uncovered files and bank records that revealed Lore had worked for other school districts in Connecticut and New York. Orr said the results of his investigation would be shared with those districts should they wish to file additional charges. The Norwalk investigation began in March 2009 following a complaint filed by Dr. Salvatore Corda, the former superintendent of the Norwalk Public Schools. The district's legal counsel, Berchem, Moses and Devlin, P.C., of Milford, Conn., had conducted its own investigation into Lore's credentials. When they were unable to verify the academic degrees she had listed on her resume, attorney Marsha Moses advised the district to share their findings with the Norwalk Police Department.
Parents were the first to question Lore's skills. Kimberly Graham, who attended Lore's arraignment last week, said she observed her son regress while under Lore's care. Margaret Bustell said she was concerned that her five-year-old son, Henry, who was totally non-verbal as a result of his autism diagnosis, was not receiving a therapeutic program that addressed his specific symptoms. Both mothers shared their concerns with the Norwalk school administrators. Dissatisfied with the response they received, the mothers contacted the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc. in Florida. In August 2008, Christine Ratcliff, chief operating officer at BACB, Inc., sent the women written confirmation that Lore was not a certified behavior therapist as she had claimed to be. Though the parents shared this information with Norwalk school administrators, they continued to hire Lore for more than six months while they assured the women they had Lore's credentials "on file."
It was only after the two women filed Freedom of Information requests with the state of Connecticut that the school district admitted they had no records on Lore and had not verified her resume. Connecticut state law requires school districts to conduct background checks on all employees who are hired. The families have since filed a lawsuit against Lore and the City of Norwalk, which operates the Norwalk Public Schools, and have been joined in the suit by two additional families whose children were under Lore's care. "It didn't have to come to this," said Bustell, following Lore's arraignment in Norwalk. "I don't take any joy from this. This is not a happy day for anyone." "Lore caused irreparable damage," said Graham. "Bad therapy is worse than no therapy."
Lore's next court appearance is scheduled for April 14 in Stamford. Norwalk detectives worked with the U.S. Department of Education and the office of the Attorney General of Connecticut. Orr said the Department of Education is eviewing the case and may take additional action.
In the meantime, the children have been provided with new therapeutic programs. Though it is uncertain they will be able to make up the time lost while under Lore's care, they appear to be making progress, the parents say.
Original article
"We put in hundreds of man-hours on this case," said Orr, the lead investigator. "But it is so important because it is about children. She worked with them during that very narrow window when they can be helped. They can't get that time back." Following her arrest on March 25, Lore was arraigned in Putnam County Court as a "fugitive from justice." She waived extradition and was returned to Connecticut on March 30 where she was charged with first-degree larceny, seconddegree forgery and one count of criminal impersonation. She is currently being held in Connecticut on $200,000 bond. "Excellent work was done by the Norwalk police," said Jerry Shremek, chief investigator for the Putnam County Sheriff 's Department. "We were happy to help."
Last June, Putnam County Sheriff's Detective Nicholas Deperno assisted Orr in executing a search warrant of Lore's home at 39 Scottsdale Road. The search uncovered files and bank records that revealed Lore had worked for other school districts in Connecticut and New York. Orr said the results of his investigation would be shared with those districts should they wish to file additional charges. The Norwalk investigation began in March 2009 following a complaint filed by Dr. Salvatore Corda, the former superintendent of the Norwalk Public Schools. The district's legal counsel, Berchem, Moses and Devlin, P.C., of Milford, Conn., had conducted its own investigation into Lore's credentials. When they were unable to verify the academic degrees she had listed on her resume, attorney Marsha Moses advised the district to share their findings with the Norwalk Police Department.
Parents were the first to question Lore's skills. Kimberly Graham, who attended Lore's arraignment last week, said she observed her son regress while under Lore's care. Margaret Bustell said she was concerned that her five-year-old son, Henry, who was totally non-verbal as a result of his autism diagnosis, was not receiving a therapeutic program that addressed his specific symptoms. Both mothers shared their concerns with the Norwalk school administrators. Dissatisfied with the response they received, the mothers contacted the Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc. in Florida. In August 2008, Christine Ratcliff, chief operating officer at BACB, Inc., sent the women written confirmation that Lore was not a certified behavior therapist as she had claimed to be. Though the parents shared this information with Norwalk school administrators, they continued to hire Lore for more than six months while they assured the women they had Lore's credentials "on file."
It was only after the two women filed Freedom of Information requests with the state of Connecticut that the school district admitted they had no records on Lore and had not verified her resume. Connecticut state law requires school districts to conduct background checks on all employees who are hired. The families have since filed a lawsuit against Lore and the City of Norwalk, which operates the Norwalk Public Schools, and have been joined in the suit by two additional families whose children were under Lore's care. "It didn't have to come to this," said Bustell, following Lore's arraignment in Norwalk. "I don't take any joy from this. This is not a happy day for anyone." "Lore caused irreparable damage," said Graham. "Bad therapy is worse than no therapy."
Lore's next court appearance is scheduled for April 14 in Stamford. Norwalk detectives worked with the U.S. Department of Education and the office of the Attorney General of Connecticut. Orr said the Department of Education is eviewing the case and may take additional action.
In the meantime, the children have been provided with new therapeutic programs. Though it is uncertain they will be able to make up the time lost while under Lore's care, they appear to be making progress, the parents say.
Original article