News

Author: Rachel Browne

Triggers: child death, physical assault, forced labor, sexual assault, psychological abuse, racism, torture using stress positions, restraint, suicide

Matt Toppi and Christopher Brown, students, died accidentally while trying to escape Robert Land Academy in 1998

Staff at RLA used the story to intimidate students for years

Martin (last name withheld) is suing RLA for $5 million for covering up sexual assault. His mother is suing RLA for $2 million for failing their duty of care towards her son

Founder/former headmaster of RLA: Scott Bowman

Matthew Lefave is a lawyer who is representing 10+ clients in separate lawsuits against RLA

RLA originally housed 28 students who called themselves the “Bowman Bunch”

RLA now houses ~125 students

RLA’s campus is modeled after a 19th century British fort, with students sleeping in barracks and eating in a mess hall

RLA students are given military-inspired ranks to mark progress, including recruit, cadet, sergeant, and warrant officer

During the first month of “treatment”, boys receive the harshest punishments from staff and other students

Staff mostly have not served in the military but students are required to call them lieutenant and captain

“One former RLA Student, who is now seventeen, alleged in documents filed at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario in 2021 that he experienced emotional and physical abuse as well as anti-Black racism when he attended the school in the fall of 2019.”

RLA’s parent manual describes the following punishments: “laps, physical exercise, loss of privileges, extra chores, suspension from regular duties, loss of leaves and stand downs, or dismissal.”

It has been illegal for teachers or other school employees to use physical punishment since 2004
Bowman has been lying about his military credentials for decades

In 2010, a student named Donald MacNeil died by suicide while he was being transported back to RLA after a term break

Nearly 70% of RLA students had been diagnosed with ADHD, ODD, or learning disabilities

Current board chair of RLA is Tim Hudak, former Ontario Progressive Conservative leader

“In 2023, former Ontario health minister and deputy premier Christine Elliott received an award from the school at its annual gala.”

Quotes from survivors posting on r/troubledteens supplied more details about the abuse at RLA

Programs mentioned: Teen Challenge, The Esther Foundation

Triggers: restraint, abduction, neglect in a wilderness setting, solitary confinement, psychological abuse, sexual abuse

Key Points:
Survivor story from “Sarah” (real name withheld), a UK resident who was sent to two programs in the US 

The programs are not named in the story

Includes a quote from Meg Appelgate, survivor and founder of Unsilenced, about the offensive nature of the show Brat Camp

Staff Mentioned: David Faust (Elevations RTC), Jennifer Wilde (Elevations RTC)

Triggers: child death, illegal restraint, sexual abuse, graphic descriptions of physical abuse, seclusion, self-harm, transphobia

Authors: Tyler Kingkade, Elizabeth Chuck

Survivor stories from Chloe Gilliland, Stella Downey, Miranda Goodwill, Sabrina Jonas, Finn Pool

Chloe Gilliland attended Elevations from July 2023 to June 2024

Elevations RTC is owned by Family Help & Wellness (FHW)

Other FHW programs have been cited for regulatory violations

Disability Law Center of Utah has received complaints about Elevations RTC

Stella Downey attended Elevations from June 2020 to February 2021

Elevations RTC has been making more calls to the police as the years go on

In 2023, there were 56 police calls. That number is expected to be higher for 2024.

Elevations RTC is a NATSAP member

Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act (SICAA) is a bipartisan bill that would make it easier for officials to communicate across state lines regarding child welfare

SICAA would also “create the first national database of restraints and seclusion in youth treatment centers”

Sabrina Jonas’ mother reported Sabrina’s abuse to her local school district, who is no longer doing business with Elevations

California Department of Education investigated Elevations in 2023

The investigation concluded that Elevations failed to handle allegations of sexual abuse properly

28 school districts in 7 states have paid to send students to Elevations

FHW bought Island View in 2014 and turned it into Elevations

A survivor sued Elevations in 2018 for permanent injuries resulting from abuse

The 2018 lawsuit was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount

Elevation’s maximum capacity is 90 students

Tuition at Elevations is over $500/daily

David Faust, an Elevations RTC therapist, plead guilty in 2023 for failure to report Finn Pool’s child abuse

“From May 2023 to May 2024, Elevations reported at least 105 incidents of self-harm and 138 uses of physical restraints, according to state records.”

“In Idaho, North Carolina and Utah, where the Family Help & Wellness youth programs are based, officials said they do not take violations at affiliated facilities in other states into account when evaluating programs. Only the child welfare agency in New Mexico, where one treatment center is, said it is currently looking into that program’s association with Family Help & Wellness, though its actions are limited to the facilities in its state.”

“Katie England, a spokesperson for the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees facilities like Elevations, said that it ‘does not have the statutory authority to use facility violations or adverse incidents in other states when making Utah-specific licensing decisions.’”

Author: Anabel Sosa

On August 28, 2024, California legislators voted to pass SB 1043

California Gov. Gavin Newsom still needs to sign the bill

If Gov. Newsom signs the bill, it will become law

In 2021, California banned the practice of sending kids to TTI facilities out-of-state

Now California uses Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Programs

STRTPs still use restraints and seclusions in an abusive way

SB 1043 will require programs in California to document use of restraint and seclusion and communicate it with the state and the child’s guardians

The bill was supported by Republican and Democratic senators

Triggers: detailed descriptions of extreme child abuse including psychological and emotional abuse, physical violence, torture

Key Points:
Survivors Allen Knoll and Dave Bowsher made a documentary together called Teen Torture Inc., which is streaming now on HBO Max.

Bethel Boys Academy in Lucedale, Mississippi was closed in 2008

Many pictures of students and campus life

Founded in 1978 by Reverend Herman Fountain 

Students were repeatedly removed from campus in connection with credible allegations of child abuse beginning in 1980 yet the school was allowed to remain open for 10 more years

When the state finally intervened, Herman Fountain assaulted a police officer and consequently served 9 months in prison

After prison, Fountain reopened the facility under a modified name in 1994

A staff member who was known to be particularly abusive, William Knott, was never held accountable for his crimes at Bethel. However, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for child abuse at his next workplace, Restoration Youth Academy, in 2017

Includes stories from Bethel survivors Allen Knoll, Daniel Edwards, Dave Bowsher, Ralph Nock, Steven Caccamo, Colin Buckley

Buckley and Caccamo are also survivors of Academy at Ivy Ridge

Buckley and Caccamo founded a non-profit called the Troubled Teen Advocate Group to help other survivors

Bethel survivors filed a class action lawsuit that failed

Herman Fountain’s son, John, took over as director in the final years of the academy

Parents filed a lawsuit against Bethel that was settled out of court

A lawsuit filed by a survivor’s father resulted in Bethel and Knott being ordered to pay out nearly $1m

Bethel rebranded as Eagle Point Christian Academy in 2005

Triggers: descriptions of physical abuse, sexual abuse, abduction, psychological abuse

Key Points:
On June 26, 2024 Paris Hilton testified at a hearing of the House Ways and Means Committee about experiencing physical, sexual, and psychological abuse at facilities starting at age 16

The House Ways and Means Committee has jurisdiction over some child welfare programs

Voiced support “to reauthorize a lapsed program that provides states with resources to prevent child abuse and neglect”

Paris promoted “kinship care” as an alternative to sending foster youth to RTCs

Child welfare systems don’t get enough funding to operate properly

Supportive remarks shared from Dr. Sarah Font, a professor from Pennsylvania State University who “specializes in child abuse and neglect within foster care”

Provo Canyon School declined to comment and referred to a 2021 statement indicating that Provo Canyon School changed ownership in 2000

Paris also testified before the Utah Senate judiciary committee for more TTI regulation in 2021

Paris collaborated with congressional Democrats on a “bill of rights” for children in RTCs

Paris also supported a similar bill in California this past April

Triggers: coerced adoption, reproductive coercion, foster care trauma, spiritual abuse, conversion therapy, child death

Staff Mentioned: Shane Thompson (transport agent, director Teen Challenge Men’s Center in Jacksonville, FL), Greg and Essie Del Valle (directors of Lakeland Teen Challenge), Izella Walls (staff Lakeland Teen Challenge), David Wilkerson (Teen Challenge founder), Henry Lozano (director Teen Challenge in CA, deputy assistant to President George W Bush), Molly Fitzpatrick (ex-staff Lakeland Teen Challenge), Katy Prince (ex-staff, Lakeland Teen Challenge), Jasmine Smith (ex-staff Lakeland Teen Challenge), Dan and Holly Williams (directors Lakeland Teen Challenge)

Survivor stories from Emma Burris, Brittany Hotte, Cambrie Elle Hall-Senn, McKaila Aguiar, Madison Koref, Megan*, Quade Pike, Shea Vassar, Deanna Doucette, Amber Foster, Samantha Oscar

Teen Challenge took over a building in 2001 that had previously been occupied by a home for unwed pregnant mothers called Help Unfortunate Girls Inc. (Lakeland, Florida)

Shane Thompson was retaliated against for filing grievances against Teen Challenge

A Teen Challenge of Oklahoma student named Amaya Rasheed filed a lawsuit for unlawful restraint

A mother sued Teen Challenge in Jacksonville FL for negligence

Parents sign a contract “waiving the right to file a lawsuit in any civil court” when they enroll kids in Teen Challenge

A student named Naomi Wood died at Lakeland Teen Challenge in 2020 due to medical neglect

Includes a 9-minute video report, also available on YouTube here.

Features survivor stories from Andi Tuchten, Frankie Clock, and Shannon Saul

A recent lawsuit against Spring Ridge Academy resulted in Kimberly Sweidy (the mother of an SRA survivor) being awarded $2.5 million by a jury in June 2024

According to court documents, SRA tuition cost up to $9k per month and students were forced to work for free

SRA used humiliating “therapy” practices that included seminars and bizarre exercises

SRA students were forced to massage blindfolded adults, including their parents, as part of a seminar

SRA students were also forced to receive massages from adults while blindfolded

Jean Courtney, SRA’s founder testified in court that she has no background in psychology

Jean Courtney cancelled a scheduled interview for this article and sent a statement through a spokesperson instead

FOX 10 reviewed documents from the local sheriff’s office and state department of health and found incidents of suicide attempts

Triggers: child death, medical neglect

Author: Jessica Schreifels

An attempt to renew the license for Maple Lake Academy’s girls program was denied by DHHS recently

4th District Court Judge Sean Peterson signed a temporary restraining order

The restraining order allows Maple Lake Academy’s girls program to stay open while MLA appeals DHHS’s decision

Sofia Soto died at MLA in 2022 after being medically neglected by staff

“Katie England, a spokesperson for DHHS, said licensers did a full investigation, and considered the facility’s 36-month history before making the decision to deny the license application.”

Maple Lake Academy’s boys program will remain open regardless of what happens to the girls program

This is the second attempt to close MLA’s girls program – the first came shortly after Sofia Soto’s death in 2022.

Author: Collin Leonard

Triggers: description of physical assault

Mulmauga Tuiloma, 27, was arrested for physically assaulting a 15 year-old girl at Provo Canyon School

He is being investigated for aggravated child abuse

Tuiloma originally claimed that the assault was a form of “restraint”

Charges have not yet been filed

Additional reading: Detroit Free Press: ‘Finally, he’s being seen’: Michigan boy abandoned by adopted parents finds new home

Author: Alli Baxter

Elijah, a survivor of Atlantis Leadership Academy in Jamaica, was scheduled to have a hearing in Grand Traverse County Family Court on September 11, 2024

Elijah was abandoned in Jamaica by his wealthy adoptive parents

Dawn Post, Elijah’s attorney, has been staying with Elijah since he returned to the United States

A circuit court referee went on the record to report that the hearing was waived and Elijah would be placed with Child Protective Services, followed by a foster care placement

Post, Paris Hilton, and other child advocates had reportedly spent months reaching out to officials in Michigan on Elijah’s behalf, but they received no response

“Sources UpNorthLive spoke to said the parents told them they were under the impression if they went to Jamaica they would be arrested.”

More than a dozen people attended Elijah’s hearing, including TTI survivor and advocate Jenn Marie Newton

Elijah’s parental abandonment has not been legally recognized by the court yet, but a pretrial will be scheduled

Author: Carol Robinson

Triggers: medical neglect, descriptions of physical assaults and injuries, suicide

The father of a 17-year-old survivor filed a lawsuit against Brighter Path Tuskegee on his son’s behalf

“M.C” says that he was severely physically and emotionally abused and neglected while at Brighter Path Tuskegee

Attorneys for M.C.: Tommy James (Tommy James Law), Jeremy Knowles (Morris Haynes), Walter McGowan (Gray, Langford, Sapp, McGowan, Gray, Gray, & Nathanson), Caleb Cunningham (Levin, Papantonio, and Levin)

M.C. was repeatedly, severely physically assaulted by other residents. Staff did not intervene or protect him.

M.C. did not receive appropriate medical treatment for injuries that came from physical assaults

Triggers: child death, suicide, self-harm, medical neglect

Utah DHHS denied Maple Lake Academy’s renewal application for its girls’ program. Maple Lake Academy’s boys’ program is still open

All clients must leave by September 13, 2024

Sofia Soto died at Maple Lake Academy in 2022 due to medical neglect

Maple Lake Academy was cited this past August for refusing to give medication to a client

According to licensees, Maple Lake Academy failed their duty to protect a student who had serious health complications after self-harming

Maple Lake Academy plans to try to appeal the decision in hopes of re-opening

MLA nearly lost its license in 2022, but regulators made a “deal” with MLA that allowed it to stay open

Simon Bolivar, director of Utah’s Office of Licensing, said that they did not revoked MLA’s license in 2022 because it seemed like they were headed in the right direction (towards compliance)

Sofia Soto’s parents are suing Maple Lake Academy for neglecting their daughter 

TRIGGER WARNINGS: child death, medical neglect, restraint, description of injuries

Parent Company: TrueCore Behavioral Solutions

The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice is terminating its contract with TrueCore Behavioral Solutions to operate four programs (Hillsborough Girls Academy, Polk Halfway House, Fort Myers Academy, and Orange Youth Academy) after the death of a child at Lake Academy, also operated by TrueCore

TRIGGER WARNINGS: restraint, description of injuries, child death, suicide, medical neglect

Parent Companies: TrueCore Behavioral Solutions, AMI Kids

Lydia Perkins reported that her son is being abused and neglected at Polk Halfway House

Her son has been transferred to Tampa Residential, another facility operated by TrueCore

AMI Kids will take over operation of Polk Halfway House on September 1, 2024

California Senate Bill SB 1043, authored by California Senator Shannon Grove, has passed an important committee vote which means it will be voted on by the entire Assembly later this month

SB 1043 is also known as the Accountability in Children’s Treatment Act

SB 1043 is expected to pass the Assembly Vote later this month and then be signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom
SB 1043 would require incidents involving restraints or seclusion to be documented in oral and written form, shared with the client, and shared with the client’s parents or guardians within 7 days

It would also require California Department of Social Services to create an internet website by January 1, 2026 that displays data about short-term residential programs, including data about restraints and seclusion

Garnet Collins, staff, arrested for first-degree endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person and one count of forcible touching

Arraigned and released, protection order issued by judge for both victims

Collins is due back in court on September 26, 2024

Triggers: child neglect, possible physical abuse

Triggers: adoption trauma, broken adoptions, neglect, graphic description of severe physical abuse and injuries, graphic description of verbal abuse, homophobic slurs, suicide

By Pamela A. Karanova

The Times reported that Atlantis Leadership Academy in Jamaica was closed in April due to child abuse

“Noah” Bevin, son of former KY Governor Matt Bevin, was among the children abandoned in Jamaica when the school was closed

Two other Black boys were also abandoned at Atlantis Leadership Academy

Adoptive parents sending their children to TTI facilities is a growing trend, particularly among white Christians

“Adoption in the US has an estimated failure rate of up to 25 percent.”

Atlantis Leadership Academy was an American facility with American operators

When adopted children struggle with emotional or behavioral issues due to trauma, adoptive parents sometimes send them to TTI programs

Some white Christian adoptive parents are preoccupied with their self-image as a “savior” and prioritize their reputations above their children’s needs

Savior mindsets for adoptive parents are extremely damaging to developing children

The Bevins were originally not allowed to be foster parents in the US because they already had five biological children. They adopted four children from Ethiopia instead

International adoptees, especially children of color, often experience a great deal of pain due to being separated from their culture of origin

Noah believes his father adopted him to benefit his “public image”

Adoptees have their adoption trauma exacerbated by the TTI

Adoptees are over-represented in TTI facilities

Adoptees are four times more likely to die by suicide

The blog author has created an organization called Adoptee Survivors of the Troubled Teen Industry

Triggers: broken adoptions, adoption trauma, descriptions of physical abuse and torture

Programs Mentioned: Atlantis Youth Academy

Staff Mentioned: Randall Cook, founder of Atlantis Youth Academy

Update: “Noah” Bevin, adopted son of former KY governor Matt Bevin did not return to KY after being abandoned in Jamaica at Atlantis Youth Academy

He returned to the US in May and was given a new place to live with new guardians and he is reportedly doing better, but we don’t know details

Noah was originally adopted from Ethiopia, along with three of his siblings

One boy from Atlantis Youth Academy is still in Jamaica in state custody

Noah was given assistance from 11:11 Media Impact and an attorney named Dawn J. Post

Chelsea Maldonado, of 11:11 Media Impact, and Dawn J. Post were both interviewed for this article

Programs Mentioned: Trails Carolina

Triggers: sexual assault, child death

Programs mentioned: Atlantis Leadership Academy

Matt Bevin is a conservative Christian and Republican who was governor of Kentucky from 2015-2019

Bevin claimed that his primary motivation to run was to fix the state’s foster care and adoption systems

Bevin and his wife Glenna adopted 4 children from Ethiopia

One of the Bevins’ adopted children, a 17 year-old boy given the pseudonym “Noah”, was just rescued from Atlantis Leadership Academy in Jamaica in February after authorities discovered extreme abuse and neglect at the facility

The Bevins have 5 biological children, in addition to their adopted children

Glenna Bevin field for divorce in May 2023

The Bevins did not pick up Noah from Jamaica and instead allowed him to become a ward of the Jamaican state

Glenna Bevin obtained a court order in April 2024 because Matt Bevin kept entering her home without permission, despite having been separated for two years

Only two of the Bevins’ 9 children are still minors

A hearing held for the rescued boys was held in April and attended by Paris Hilton

The Bevins adopted internationally after being denied a domestic adoption

Noah attended a TTI facility in Florida before being transferred to Jamaica

Triggers: description of physical abuse

Key Points: 
Henry Chism Okwori was convicted of misdemeanor child abuse for an incident involving physical violence that took place at Cinnamon Hills Youth Crisis Center, St. George, Utah in April, 2024

He has also been charged with third-degree fraud for using someone else’s Social Security Number to obtain employment at Liahona Academy, another TTI facility, against a court order

Key Points:
15-year old Liberty (Libby) Lucas has been missing since July 20, 2024

She left Lad Lake Academy’s St. Rose Center

No one from Lad Lake Academy notified her family until she had already been missing for two days

Her disappearance is being investigated by Milwaukee Police

Brighter Path Courtland (editor’s note: previously Sequel TSI Courtland) may lose its business license due to allegations of abuse and fire hazards discovered at the facility in May

Courtland, AL town council met to discuss possibly revoking Brighter Path Courtland’s business license, decided to take at least 30 days to continue to investigate before making a decision

TRIGGER WARNING: graphic description of physical child abuse, restraint

Companies Mentioned: Sequel TSI of Florida, LLC
Staff Mentioned: Pete Adolphus Battle, Andra Walters

Two staff members assaulted a child at Charles Britt Academy on June 4, 2024

The staff members were arrested and charged with child abuse

Florida Department of Juvenile Justice closed Charles Britt Academy after the arrests