Ten employees at a Lawrence group home for developmentally disabled adults have been fired for not reporting an abusive supervisor.

The supervisor, too, was terminated.

“We feel we had no choice in the matter,” Michael Strouse said of the firings. He is chief executive officer of Community Living Opportunities, a nonprofit corporation that has several homes in Douglas and Johnson counties.

“This cannot be allowed to happen,” he said.

Strouse said the abuse at Ponderosa House, 1205 E. 26th St., was reported by the agency to the Kansas Department on Aging on April 27, the day it was discovered.

The abuse, he said, has been confirmed by CLO and Department on Aging investigations.

Among the findings:

¢ The supervisor, a woman, taunted, manhandled and verbally abused the home’s eight residents, all of whom are considered severely disabled.

¢ To punish bad behavior, the supervisor would, on occasion, throw a resident’s meal in the trash.

On at least one occasion, bad behavior included a resident not using a spoon and eating fast when told to slow down.

¢ During the day, a blind resident was often made to stand “for long periods of time” in an effort to keep her from falling asleep and to cause her to sleep at night.

Oftentimes, the blind lose track of time and may sleep during the day and be awake at night.

¢ When the blind resident wet herself, the supervisor made her stand outside and alone in urine-soaked clothing for three to four hours.

The supervisor realized the resident feared being left alone outside.

¢ Several employees said they feared losing their jobs if they reported the supervisor’s abuse.

In Kansas, the Department on Aging is charged with inspecting group homes for the disabled.

Department officials completed their investigation of the abuse but have not released their findings, pending a formal review of CLO’s response.

“I’m afraid we’re not in a position to release anything at this time,” said department spokeswoman Karen Sipes.

It’s not known whether CLO will be fined for the supervisor’s actions or whether the supervisor will be charged with a crime.

Strouse said the abuse was discovered by a “supervisor of the supervisor” who overheard employees discussing earlier instances of abuse.

When asked, he said, the employees were quick to share accounts of past abuse.

“This is the first time in CLO’s 24 years that these kinds of concerns have been raised against a supervisor,” Strouse said.

The home, he said, has been restaffed with experienced supervisors and help.

In February, the Disability Rights Center of Kansas sued CLO on behalf of four residents it claimed had been mistreated at Elmwood House, 1424 Elmwood St.

Three of the four residents cannot speak, feed themselves or walk.

Still pending, the lawsuit stems from conditions discovered in 2004.

Rocky Nichols, director of the Disability Rights Center declined comment on the Ponderosa House findings.

“Before I say anything I need to know more,” he said.

Nichols noted a new state law directs state agencies to forward investigations of abuse to both the Disability Rights Center of Kansas and the Kansas Attorney General’s Office.

“I’m sure going to look into it,” Nichols said. “I know the attorney general will, too.”