IEA is a private special education school for children with disabilities founded by Sister Helen Dowd in 1971, as a ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph. IEA has maintained a positive reputation in Connecticut and central Massachusetts for its loving environment and inclusive family-school partnership for over 50 years. 

With the recent administration change in the summer of 2022, a series of leadership decisions have been made that question IEA and the values it upholds. 

On behalf of the parents and families of Intensive Education Academy, we submit this Petition of No Confidence in the Executive Director, Lori Susi, due to growing concerns which have impacted the learning environment, well being, and safety of our children. We are requesting her immediate removal from her position as Executive Director.

Mrs. Susi’s unethical and concerning actions include: 

• Placing IEA in danger of losing state accreditation due to not having an appropriately credentialed administrator certified in special education
• Deep concerns regarding safety and monitoring protocols
  • Lack of safety protocols resulted in a child being exposed to asbestos in a newly created quiet room
• A pattern of poor judgment, as it pertains to interacting with children of special needs, that shows a clear lack of understanding in regards to their specific disabilities
• A lack of clear, timely, transparent, and professional communication with families
• Abruptly removing trusted staff from the building without considering the impact on the children they work with

Numerous families have reached out to the Board of Directors to express concerns. The BOD and their new attorney have refused to address any parent concerns and have denied their repeated requests to present to the BOD at a board meeting. After several weeks, the BOD Executive Committee finally responded to parents with the following: “Dear Parents, We have received your emails. We will not be inviting you to attend or speak at Board Meetings. The Executive Committee.” The “s” in meetings was bolded to be sure we understood that we were not able to speak at future meetings.

In addition, over 50 IEA staff members expressed concerns with the  leadership decisions and the increasingly negative school climate created from administration to Board of Directors.

Please help us restore Sister Helen’s legacy and help us protect our children and preserve the mission of IEA.