CEDU
| CEDU Educational Services Inc. | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Location | |
3500 Seymour Road Running Springs , San Bernardino , California 92382 United States 34°11′24″N 117°05′42″W / 34.190°N 117.095°W | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private therapeutic boarding schools group home |
| Motto | "See Yourself As You Are and Do Something About It" |
| Opened | 1967 |
| Founder | Merle Wasserman |
| Closed | 2005 |
| Accreditation | Western Association of Schools and Colleges |
CEDU Educational Services, Inc., commonly known as CEDU (pronounced “see-doo”) was an education provider founded in 1967 in Palm Springs, California by Mel Wasserman. Heavily influenced by the confrontation methods of the Synanon cult, The company became foundational pioneer and archetype with in the troubled teen industry.
Operating a network of Therapuetic boarding schools and wilderness programs across across the Western United States primarily in California and Idaho. CEDU marketed it's program to struggling families However the Organization's unique operational model relied on peer driven attack therapy, intense large group seminars and isolation.
Throughout its operating history, CEDU and its constituent programs faced a multitude of lawsuits and persistent allegations concerning systemic physical, emotional, and psychological abuse, as well as incidents of student deaths and disappearances. Acquired in 1998 by Brown Schools Inc. of Texas, the network ultimately collapsed under mounting legal pressures, financial liabilities, and state regulatory crackdowns, leading the company to file for bankruptcy and permanently cease operations in 2005.