My name is Gaia Lorelei Dawson (pictured above at the Charlton School) and I am an 18 year old survivor of infamous troubled teen industry, more specifically The Charlton School for Girls, located in Burnt Hills, NY. I am here to tell my story.

I was hospitalized a few times and was in a residential I believed to be short term, until January 3, 2022, I discovered I would be sent to The Charlton School. I was told I’d be there for 6 months / through the summer and my sweet 16.

I arrived at The Charlton School on January 14, 2022 at the age of 15. It was an immediate shock. I was told that I would only be allowed inside my room at bedtime for two or more weeks to “help me adjust.” I had just been diagnosed with Autism, and they were aware that being around crowds of my peers, especially ones I don’t know was terrifying.

I was trying to figure out my identity at the time, and I asked to use they/them pronouns, in which they refused saying that they need parental permission, which is against New York State educational law. I also struggled with eating, and Charlton was so strict about food: very small portions, strict mealtimes, and no outside food.

My mental health declined further and further until I began my senior year on September 7, 2024. That’s when things took a turn, with staff becoming more and more strict about food, no longer allowing us to save “meal replacement” aka food we could buy ourselves from off campus as a reward for keeping our rooms clean all week. The food restrictions became worse and worse, and I ended up collapsing one morning during a school meeting.

I went to the hospital by ambulance that day, and after that weekend, I was back at Charlton, I would consistently feel woozy, and even though my pediatrician wrote a note requiring the school to supply me with extra food, Charlton brushed it off saying I was “craving” and “it wasn’t a big deal.”

My self harm was worsened leading up to my graduation, thinking I could never survive outside of Charlton even though it was clear I was being abused and neglected. I stayed the summer at Charlton, and on August 4, 2024, after a week of trying to get help by telling my therapist that I had a suicidal plan and I was prepared, the Charlton staff decided to let me go to store, where I bought a lethal amount of Benadryl. On Charlton’s campus, I took more than 3,000mg of Benadryl, to which a student found me and told the staff to call 911. 

I left Charlton forever that day, after nearly 31 months of abuse. At the hospital, I had a grand mal seizure and fell into a coma for 2 days. I suffered pneumonia from the ventilator, and I was transferred to a psych unit, where I was finally fed properly. On August 4, I weighed approximately 127lbs, and a month later I was up to 146lbs, which I am still at today because I have the nutrients I need.

I am not the only one with a Charlton horror story but I am only telling mine today. I have psychological trauma from my time there and it haunts me daily, even though I have blossomed into a growing independent person. Thank you for reading, and please help me and my friends prevent another kid from gaining an unfathomable amount of trauma. It happens every day there so please help us get justice.