Florence “Miss Siss” Dedekker was a member of staff at The Academy at Ivy Ridge who was accused of both fostering and participating in a culture of abuse against the “students” who were sent there for behavioral reform. Dedekker was a shift supervisor, instrumental in some of the extremely worrying practices that occurred, and she participated in the creation of the Netflix docuseries The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping with filmmaker Katherine Kubler, a former student at the school.
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Who is Florence “Miss Siss” Dedekker?
Florence Dedekker | Image via Netflix
Florence Dedekker would take a position at Ivy Ridge, which was located in her hometown of Ogdensburg in New York. Dedekker is featured in the Netflix series and adopted a stern personality to maintain the tone of the facility. Dedekker would contribute to the documentary and sit down with Katherine Kubler for a section of the series. While the interview was being conducted in a diner, they were told to leave as the staff and customers were uncomfortable with them discussing Ivy Ridge in public.
Dedekker is one of several former staffers including co-founder Jason Finlinson and the director of the boys’ side of the program, George Tulip, who were accused of abusing the students at the facility.
Where is “Miss Siss” now?
Dedekker would leave her position and is reportedly still living in Ogdensburg, although she is quiet about her time at the facility. The series features footage of Kubler and Dedekker in conversation, although the interview fails to get the staff member to elaborate on some of the more controversial aspects of her time at the school.
The school would become a storm of controversy, and a riot in 2005 would see students escaping, the police being called, and the media spotlight being shone upon Ivy Ridge. After losing the right to be known as an accredited school, it was a downward spiral for the facility, that would close in 2009.
What involvement did Miss Siss have at the Academy at Ivy Ridge?
Dedekker was the shift supervisor at Ivy Ridge, and throughout The Program, she talks with Kubler, admitting: “This isn’t a boarding school, this is a f***ing prison.”
Dedekker was involved in the entry strip search requirement that the school implemented to make sure that nothing was being smuggled into the building, such as mobile phones. Communication between the students and people on the outside was not allowed. Allegations from students, including sexual abuse, seemed to imply that Dedekker was part of the problem and she would say that she had reservations about the openly gay students who were admitted.
What happened to Ivy Ridge?
The eventual decline in the number of students attending the school, and controversy surrounding the school’s actual status, would see the Ivy Ridge facility close in 2009. The building would be sold to a Delaware corporation, and a posted notice would say that the school was closed for restructuring. However, the building was never re-opened, and the filmmakers would make use of official documentation and video that was found at the abandoned building.
The land was eventually bought once again in 2012, but no developments ever happened.
