Another thing... that might have been why the kid ran. If he was on upper levels, on his way to graduating as the article says, he would not have tried to run. I suspect, the psychological shock of being dropped on a whim hit him so hard, he realized it was all for nothing, and he lost any sort of hope. That's the only reason a kid would run, because there is no where to go. Or he could of been afraid for his safety, maybe he knew the beating was coming in advance.
I bet they dropped him to level one as part of the program strategy (challenge him, make him stay longer, more parents money, etc) and he, seeing the program in a rational sense, realized no matter how much work he did, it would be fruitless.
This is all speculation, of course.