Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > The Troubled Teen Industry

Tipton / Meadowlark Academy in Kansas closed

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Oscar:
I found this local story about the swimming incident:

Tipton Academy, Final Word
Dierking Communications, Inc. d.b.a. KD Country 94 & Z-96.3 The Lake, Ootober 10, 2011

The Autumn 2011 issue of the Tipton Times came out last week and it contained a powerful story which is likely the definitive word on the tragic closing of the Tipton Academy.

Editor Fred Smith’s story reads like an obituary for the troubled boys home that operated for 6-years in the tiny western Mitchell County community.

In the story Smith documents the financial plight of the Tipton Academy owners Kevin and Kaye Richey of St. George, Utah.

Smith also castigated staff members who were involved in several incidents that got the Tipton Academy on the Kansas State Department of Health and Environment “radar screen”.

Smith specifically sights the staff members that, “Took Tipton Academy youth to Wilson Lake; several unsupervised boys swam in the lake, and one almost drowned.”

Also, “Kevin Richey said that former employees decided to start their own troubled boys school in Jewell without a license.”

Smith goes on, “Ten of the boys were removed from the Academy and transported to Jewell to the school. An investigation in Jewell County returned the boys to the Tipton Academy.”

Eventually the Richey’s voluntarily shut down the Tipton Academy during an investigation of the facility by KDHE.

At this point it appears the Tipton community will eventually get the old school building back.

One additional piece of information to report… I have it on good authority that one of the former Tipton Academy employees involved in the summer of 2011 disaster is reportedly looking at an old nursing home in Lucas as a possible sight for a new school for troubled boys. We’ll keep you informed.

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The youtube incident was mentioned here:

Last Student at Tipton Academy
Dierking Communications, Inc. d.b.a. KD Country 94 & Z-96.3 The Lake, July 25, 2011

Hanging by its last student – that was the status of the troubled Tipton Academy last Friday afternoon.

Mitchell County Attorney Mark Noah said all but one of the 17-young men who had been housed at the Tipton Academy has been returned to their parents.

A spokesperson for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment earlier in the week said once all the students have been returned to their parents, the Tipton Academy would voluntarily close.

KDHE does not have the power to prosecute anyone in this bizarre case that started just over a week ago with what has been described as “an incident at Wilson Lake.” Any prosecution will be up to the County Attorneys in the 3-counties involved in the investigation. Noah said he is looking at the pertinent statutes to see what kinds of laws apply.

One last note, the status of the disturbing You Tube video of young men burning a Tipton Academy banner that popped up last week Monday. It was no longer posted on You Tube as of last Friday evening.

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