Wood Creek Academy

Incidents on record

1. 2017 Investigation

   A 2017 complaint inspection found alternate meals served as discipline, clothing taken to deter running away, and boys in separation showering outside with a hose.source

2. 2019 Legislation

   A Missoulian investigative series led Montana lawmakers in 2019 to place oversight of private therapeutic boarding schools with the health department.source

3. July 2020 License action

   A July 2020 state inspection found 19 deficiencies, including prohibited excessive physical exercise as punishment (50 to over 200 laps in a week).source

4. August 2020 Runaway

   A 17-year-old boy ran away on August 19, 2020 and was found safe in Seattle on September 4.source

5. January 2021 Investigation

   A January 2021 inspection found staff waited over an hour to call police when two boys ran away, barred them from peers for three days, and sent them to sleep in tents at 28F.source

6. September 2021 Closure order

   In September 2021 the school announced it would close after two state complaints in the past year and inspections that found infractions.source

7. Runaway

   Records show 31 runaways from Wood Creek were reported to law enforcement over ten years.source

News coverage

• 

  KFF Health News Jan 21, 2022 General

  State Laws Aim to Regulate 'Troubled Teen Industry,' but Loopholes Remain

  This article examines state-level legislative efforts to regulate private residential youth programs and the ongoing regulatory loopholes that allow instances of seclusion, chemical sedation, and unaddressed safety violations to persist. Advocates and experts highlight that inconsistent state enforcement and exemptions for religious programs continue to present challenges for oversight within the industry.

• 

  USA TODAY / Kaiser Health News Jan 19, 2022 Expose

  State laws aim to regulate 'troubled teen industry,' but loopholes remain

  The article examines state-level regulatory efforts and ongoing loopholes regarding residential youth treatment programs across the United States. It details accounts of restrictive practices and inadequate oversight in facilities across states such as Utah and Montana, while highlighting advocacy efforts for federal legislation.

• 

  Missoulian Jan 25, 2019 Expose

  Former Montana Residential Program Students Report Isolation and Punitive Practices

  Former students of various private residential programs in Montana detailed institutional practices such as prolonged social isolation, physical exertion punishments, and behavioral restriction levels. Documentation and interviews also revealed instances of physical restraint, restrictive dietary measures, and allegations of forced peer physical contact overseen by facility staff.

Staff

Notable staff

• Sean Thorne

  source

• Danice Thorne

  source

Connections on the network map

The companies, people and programs our research map ties to this program. Open it on the network map.

Names

• TurnAround Ranch Earlier name
• Turning D Ranch Earlier name

Wiki entries

• Wood Creek Academy Thompson Falls, MT | 2004-2021

Materials and links

External links

A program's own website is linked as an archived snapshot, so the page reads as it did when it was captured.

• turningdranch.com (archived copy) live site
• heal-online.org (archived copy) live site

Reference and research

• Staci (Yelp)
• Kriss (Yelp)
• Wood Creek Academy (2004-present) Thompson Falls, MT

1 of these from SCIAD NET.

Other links

• Wood Creek Academy - Spring Creek Lodge (archived copy) live site
• archived website
• Wood Creek Academy Website Homepage (archived copy) live site
• P.U.R.E (archived copy) live site