On 2005-06-12 06:45:00, Anonymous wrote:
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On 2005-06-12 06:13:00, Anonymous wrote:
"mackie chose to go up there..and there was plenty of food in the semi..which he was told to eat..and if makcie wants to run his mouth now that he "RAN" away..he can speak for himself since he is too much of a damn pussy to say anything before..and dont give me that bullshit about him getting beat if he opened his mouth..he was one of the biggest kids we had..hahaha"
Unbelievable ... so because the guy was one of the "biggest kids we had" he didn't need to worry about any b.s. like getting "beat"?
Care to explain yourself anon to those of us who are not Whitmore parents or teens? You seem to be saying the "littlest" kids are the ones who would have to worry.
Please, I hope you understand that beating is NEVER acceptable. Someone who would even physically harm a kid (big or small) as relatiation for disobedience of any kind should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
Parents can't beat their children at home and should not be allowed to let program staff beat their kids, by proxy.
There have been serious allegations of abuse leveled against this program according to what I read in the paper.
Think that might have anything to do why this child ran away in the first place?
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: "
My apologies, I forgot to include the news article.
Academy owner facing charges
Boarding school: She stands accused of child abuse and hazing at a now-defunct treatment center
By Kirsten Stewart
The Salt Lake Tribune
June 11, 2005
The owner of a controversial Utah boarding school has been charged with five misdemeanor counts of child abuse and two counts of hazing. Charging documents filed last week by the Juab County Attorney's office allege Cheryl Sudweeks of Whitmore Academy in Nephi humiliated and physically harmed four children between April 2003 and November 2004. The children were enrolled at a now-defunct residential treatment center formerly associated with the boarding school.
Sudweeks, 50, has been summoned to appear before Nephi's 4th District Court on June 23. Nephi police could not be reached for details late Friday. But Juab County Attorney Jared Eldridge says the charges were filed as part of an investigation of alleged abuse at Whitmore that began in November. It led to the closing of the residential treatment facility. Eldridge said none of the evidence amassed implicates Sudweeks' husband, Mark, who co-owns Whitmore. Mark Sudweeks declined to comment on the investigation or the charges Friday. Eldridge said the criminal probe is ongoing.
"It has been a difficult investigation because we have witnesses who are scattered across the country. Some have been difficult to pin down," said Eldridge.
Whitmore still operates a boarding school catering to about 32 students, ages 12 to 17.
The school has recently balked at coming under state regulation, arguing it is not a therapeutic facility, a category covered under a new law passed to crack down on Utah's thriving teen-help industry.
Utah licensing director Ken Stettler said until the school is covered by state regulations there is nothing he can do to intervene. Officials at the Division of Child and Family Services say they have no reason to believe children at Whitmore are at risk, nor are they currently investigating any complaints of neglect or abuse.
"But if any parent has reason to believe there might be abuse going on we definitely want them to contact us," said DCFS spokeswoman Elizabeth Sollis.
http://www.sltrib.com
