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Messages - Deborah

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5341
The Troubled Teen Industry / NY Times Reporter in Mexico
« on: April 12, 2003, 12:40:00 PM »
Posted at Struggling Teens

Hello. My name is Tim Weiner, and I am a reporter for The New York Times based in Mexico City. I am visiting several schools for struggling teens in Mexico this week and next. I am interesting in learning from the experiences of parents who have sent their children to these schools in recent years, and from students who have graduated. I know there is a spectrum from excellent to not-so-great in the qaulity of tehse schools. My e-mail is http://www.strugglingteens.com/cgi-bin/ ... 1;t=000216

5342
Face,
In terms of Anasazi, the following is posted at Struggling Teens under Current News:

ANASAZI FOUNDATION
(February 13, 2003)

At the request of attorneys on both sides of the case regarding Anasazi, all press has been temporarily removed from this site until the case has been settled.
******************************

Perhaps it is something minor that doesn't involve the abuse of a teen. Who knows?
Since Anasazi is a "non-profit" organization, there BOD may require them to be in compliance with ICPC.

5343
The compact DOES apply to parents unless they are sending the teen to another relative or to a traditional boarding school. See below.

http://icpc.aphsa.org/documents/Regulations1.htm
6. (a) Pursuant to Article VIII (a), this Compact does not apply to the sending or bringing of a child into a receiving state by the child's parent, stepparent, grandparent, adult brother or sister, adult uncle or aunt, or the child's guardian and leaving the child WITH ANY SUCH RELATIVE or NON-AGENCY GUARDIAN in the receiving state, provided that such person who brings, sends, or causes a child to be sent or brought to a receiving state is a person whose full legal right to plan for the child: (1) has been established by law at a time prior to initiation of the placement arrangement, and (2) has not been voluntarily terminated, or diminished or severed by the action or order of any court.

http://icpc.aphsa.org/documents/Guidebook_2002.pdf
Children placed out of state need to be assured of the same protections and services that would be provided if they remained in their home states. They must also be assured of a return to their original jurisdictions should placements prove not to be in their best interests or should the need for out-of-state services cease.

TYPES OF PLACEMENTS COVERED
The Compact applies to four types of situations in which children may be sent to other states:
? Placement preliminary to an adoption.
? Placements into foster care, including foster homes, group homes, RESIDENTIAL
TREATMENT FACILITIES, and institutions.
? Placements with parents and relatives when a parent or relative is not making the placement.
? Placements of adjudicated delinquents in institutions in other states.

1. In determining whether the sending or bringing of a child to another state is exempt from the provisions of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children by reason of the exemption for various classes of institutions in Article II (d), the following concepts and terms shall have the following meanings:
(a) ?Primarily educational institution? means an institution which operates one or more
programs that can be offered in satisfaction of compulsory school attendance laws, in which the PRIMARY PURPOSE of accepting children is to meet their EDUCATIONAL NEEDS; and which DOES NOT DO one or more of the following:
(1) accept responsibility for children during the entire year;
(2) provide or hold itself out as providing child care constituting nurture sufficient to
substitute for parental supervision and control or foster care;
(3) provide any other services to children, except for those customarily regarded as
extracurricular or cocurricular school activities, pupil support services, and those services necessary to make it possible for the children to be maintained on a residential basis in the aforementioned school program or programs.

5. The type of license, if any, held by an institution is evidence of its character, but DOES NOT determine the need for compliance with ICPC. Whether an institution is either generally exempt from the need to comply with the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children or exempt in a particular instance is to be determined by the SERVICES IT ACTUALLY PROVIDES or offers to provide. In making any such determinations, the criteria set forth in this regulation shall be applied.
****************************

The TBS my son attended listed with their state as a Boarding School. It appears to me that they, and others are attempting to catorgorize themselves as Traditional Boarding Schools with an "Emotional Growth Cirriculm".

[BTW, Even if they were classified as such, this would not cause them to be exempt from ICPC because they are offering more than standard extracurricular activities, administer behavior mod, and care for teens year round.]

This $5K/mo facility bragged about being a college prep facility and their accreditation with SACS. In fact, my son spent 20 mo there and was 5 credits behind his peers when he returned home. He was an A/B student prior.

Ways to ensure that the compact is enforced: States require Ed Cons and other agencies who refer or send teens to comply.
Officials require all programs in their state to inform parents of ICPC procedures.

The Ed Con who refered my son never met him, refered to an unlicensed facility, did not have the state required license to refer out of state, and it was questionable if she violated the ICPC because she did not personally take him to Ga(his father did).

Again, the state didn't have a clue how to proceed with this. Last I knew the Tx Ed
Con was under investigation by CPS. The TBS in Ga was  being investigated for license violations. Unless they received a wavier to operate as an "experimental program", they were to be classified as a Residential Care Facility and subject to regs. Their Wilderness program was required to be licensed as such right away. I requested to be notified of each state's decisions in these matters but wasn't. I haven't followed up.

5344
http://www.youthlawcenter.com/htm/ylc_omvw.htm

In Milonas v. Williams, staff attorneys challenged conditions at a secure residential facility in Provo. After a four-week trial, the federal court permanently enjoined the owners of the school from using a lie detector as part of the "therapy" program, censoring students' mail, locking students up in tiny isolation cells for long periods of time, and using excessive physical force on students, including the common practice of grabbing students' hair and pulling backward, known as the "hair dance." The court's decision is particularly noteworthy inasmuch as it is the first federal ruling in the nation holding that children in "private" facilities may claim the protection of the federal Civil Rights Act in seeking relief from harmful institutional practices. The school's owners appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, which unanimously rejected their arguments and affirmed the District Court's ruling. The owners then appealed to the United States Supreme Court, which also rejected their arguments.
***************

I'm confused. The first article I found stated that this took place in Nevada. I then found a link that stated Provo, Utah.
Anyone able to clear this up?


[ This Message was edited by: Deborah on 2003-04-11 20:17 ]

5345
ICPC pertains to anyone sending a child across state lines for care or adoption. Programs hate this law. It requires time and they like to strike while the iron's hot.
Good luck getting anyone to enforce it. When my ex incarcerated our son out of state I tried. Texas deferred to Ga. Ga said the facility was exempt. Tx would not act.  The stoolies at the state didn't even know what I was referring to. I sent them detailed information and they still did nothing. Letters to politicians didn't get a response.
The ONLY facilities that are exempt are traditional boarding schools that DO NOT include any kind of therapy or behavior modification.
The law and specifics are on-line for anyone to read.
There is also a copy of a letter to ICPC at Stuggling Teens (search ICPC-link not handy) in which someone wrote to ICPC for clarification. They said indeed Wilderness and TBS were NOT exempt from ICPC.
The Industry would like to change this law. Those of us who are actively involved need to watch closely for this and speak out if/when the time comes.
Deborah

5346
The Troubled Teen Industry / Death in Texas at "On Track" Wilderness
« on: February 10, 2003, 02:38:00 PM »
"Gossip"?  We must have a different definition.
"Adds to the stress of all of those involved"  Sorry I can't see your point. Are the family members visiting this site? If they are, wouldn't that be a form of self-tourture? If indeed these posts bothered them.
I have much empathy for their personal suffering. I knew a teen who was killed in a program.
I feel it's very important to talk about these tragedies, and let other parents know the risks they are taking when they abdicate responsibility for their offspring.
Sorry to disappoint.

5347
The Troubled Teen Industry / Death at Skyline Journey 13 July 2002
« on: February 06, 2003, 09:43:00 AM »
I'm wondering if letters to the Utah AG would assist him in doing the right thing.
Deborah

http://www.sltrib.com/2003/feb/02042003/utah/utah.asp
4 Feb 2003
Birth Mom Protests Judge's Action in Wilderness Fatality

BY KEVIN CANTERA
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE

    The birth mother of Ian August -- the teenager who collapsed and died while hiking in a wilderness program last summer -- blasted a
judge's decision Monday to dismiss a felony homicide charge against the Millard County therapy business.
    Fourth District Judge Donald Eyre issued an eight-page ruling tossing out one count each of child abuse homicide, a second-degree felony, against WOW Developments, the parent company of Skyline Journeys, and Mark Wardle, a program manager for the group.
    In his decision Monday, Eyre wrote: "The youth camp was at all times adequately staffed by trained counselors. . . . Skyline Journeys took
many more precautions than those provided in similar youth programs."
    Eyre also notes that the 14-year-old Austin, Texas, boy had passed a medical exam prior to enrolling in the program, and had taken a shower
and received a Popsicle the night before he died.
    "With this decision, the judge has said that Ian's life meant nothing, and I take great offense at that," said Susan Pinson, who gave
her son up for adoption following his birth but maintained close ties with him. "It is a huge travesty of justice."
    Ian August died July 13 after collapsing along the trail during a hike through the mountains of Utah's west desert, accompanied by about a half-dozen other children in the Skyline Journeys program and three counselors.
    The boy -- who stood 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighed about 200 pounds and was enrolled in the program by his adoptive mother -- died of
hyperthermia, or excessive body heat, an autopsy determined.
    Following a monthlong investigation, Millard County prosecutors filed charges, accusing Wardle and Skyline Journeys of recklessly causing August's death with inadequate staff training and insufficient wilderness equipment.
    "We are very pleased with the judge's decision," said Nelson Abbott, a Skyline Journeys attorney. "You can't expect a wilderness program to ensure that no child will ever be hurt. . . . Skyline did everything right."
    Deputy Millard County Attorney Brent Berkley said that he plans to forward Eyre's decision to the Utah Attorney General's office and ask
that it appeal the ruling.
    During a preliminary hearing last month, Leigh Hale, a former Skyline Journey counselor, testified that she thought the boy was "faking" when he collapsed.
    She further said that she never took any measures to determine Ian's temperature beyond putting a hand on his forehead, and packed no cold compresses in the medical kit she carried.
    It was 45 minutes before she and another counselor moved August from beneath the noonday sun into the shade of a gaunt juniper tree, Hale
testified.
    After the boy stopped breathing, she performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation for 2 1/2 hours until emergency crews reached them, about
50 miles west of Delta in Bird Canyon, she said.
    Prior to that hearing, prosecutors had dropped a second-degree homicide charge against Hale in exchange for her testimony.
    "They thought he was faking? They obviously didn't have the proper training," Pinson said. "It's all just very frustrating."
    [email protected]

5348
The Troubled Teen Industry / Death in Texas at "On Track" Wilderness
« on: February 06, 2003, 08:22:00 AM »
Dear Anonymous,
With all due respect, I fail to understand your comment, "your facts are clearly not correct".
Most of what is posted here are news articles and people's opinions about the facts reported. If they are inaccurate, then perhaps you might want to shed some light on the subject.

Unfortunately, when a teen dies at a program, that is a public matter. To my knowledge citizens do have a right to post news articles and discuss and debate the details of any tragic event without permission from the family.

No one really knows what happened that night, only what the program and law enforcement reported to the papers. That is what we are discussing here, with the assumption that the facts were reported accurately.

Out of compassion for your suffering, I'd be willing to consider editing anything specific in  my posts that you find offensive to your family.
And, I'm sure we'd all appreciate a posting of any later articles that might be more accurate.
Deborah

5349
The Troubled Teen Industry / Death at Skyline Journey 13 July 2002
« on: February 04, 2003, 07:38:00 PM »
>>"The youth camp was at all times adequately staffed by trained counselors. . . . Skyline Journeys took many more precautions than those provided in similar youth programs."

Whitewash.
"Adequately staffed by trained counselors"?
I don't recall Skyline ever having been charged with inadequate staff/training. And if you want to get technical...the teens who continued the march that day did not have adequate staff, they were out of ratio at 1:5. A violation of regs in case the judge didn't know. More likely he chose to overlook it.

"Many more"?
That's a pretty weak statement given the history of deaths (murders) in Utah. Utah law states that a program can be closed for ONE violation due to the difficulty in monitoring. Skyline had multiple violations that day. Something's not kosher in Utah. Anyone else surprised?

>>Eyre also notes that the 14-year-old Austin, Texas, boy had passed a medical exam prior to enrolling in the program

Again, the issue was not that he didn't receive a physical before participation. The issue was that Skyline did not accurately describe the rigors of the program to his doctor.

>>and had taken a shower and received a Popsicle the night before he died.

Well, we should all feel relieved, huh? A shower and a popsicle. Are we to assume that these are more important than an accurate medical diagnosis by the EMT and a timely call for emergency aid? Is Skyline's adequately trained staff trained to pass out popsicles...or ensure the teen's safety?  I am having a hard time imagining what the judge may have been thinking. His comments are insulting to Ian's memory.

Stay tuned, I imagine the jury may still be out on this one !!

5350
The Troubled Teen Industry / Death at Skyline Journey 13 July 2002
« on: January 19, 2003, 04:41:00 PM »
As an act of compassion for your ignorance, I offer the following. It arrived in my mailbox this morning and I thought of you immediately. I hope you will find the "heart of your mind" and learn to discern the difference between right and wrong, pro and anti-human behavior and abandon your role as a predator.
Ultimately, unless you have brain damage, we want the same thing for young people. We differ in our perceptions of what's right and wrong. Get about re-evaluating your beliefs, so you can help someone else do the same.
Deborah

Excerpt from: Constructive Moping for the Downtrodden
By Diane Harvey
1-14-3

 To turn episodes of bone deep hand wringing to constructive account, we might dwell at length on one of the most useful observations ever made. "No problem is ever solved on the level at which it occurs."

Consciousness is designed to be opened, expanded, and ratcheted up a notch or three on a regular basis. The mind is a cosmic cargo container, an
infinite direction finder, and an instantaneous teleporter. It holds the keys to every possible path and destination, and automatically leads us
anywhere we decide to go. The darkest hells and the illuminated heavens begin between our ears. We are the ones who program the direction, with
every thought we think. One of the greatest wonders of our construction is that the mind is not meant to be heartless. The mind contains a heart, with all the energies we associate with the heart fully present. To think with and through the heart of the mind is entirely different from thinking without it. And heartless thoughts are the point of origin of most of our
species' self-induced agony.

          Thinking with the heart of the mind does not mean abandoning discernment. The real meaning of the word ãdiscriminationä has been much
abused, and deserves to be restored to its original condition. To discriminate simply means to have the capacity to perceive subtle
distinctions and differences among all created forms of life. The absence of the discriminative faculty results in the inability to register subtleties at all, which is hardly a virtue. Discernment and love go hand in hand, or one falls into the pit on either side. "Love your enemies" doesn't mean it is never necessary to fight for what is right. By all means, whip the
moneychangers out of the temple.

          And when unregenerate humans become professional predators, to remove them from incarnation with dispatch, for the common good, can also be a form of love in action.  Intelligent love is not stupid or suicidal. It is
not an enabler or an excuser, or blind to the machinations of criminal intent. Nevertheless, we are required to love our enemies, and to forgive
them, even while cracking the whip at their backsides as they scurry out of the temple. Love is the energy that can understand the long evolutionary story of the human soul, including the worst souls can fall into here, and
the inevitable consequences of the worst. Love bears with us all as we undergo the trauma, delight, mess and enjoyment of working through the net of illusions.

5351
The Troubled Teen Industry / Death at Skyline Journey 13 July 2002
« on: January 18, 2003, 11:07:00 PM »
I was so upset I forgot to address the ridiculous comment that "Ian might have refused to drink his water".

I would add to the previous post that IF I were the counselor in charge of marching kids in 100* weather at 8000 ft, and one of them refused to drink water...the march would stop. Period. I would not put a child at risk of death because he was "defiant". Pahleez. That is very basic common sense, and to do otherwise would be murder, intentional.

Is your thinking so twisted that you might be suggesting that he would've deserved to die if he had "chose" not to drink his water??  This is ridiculous beyond my comprehension.

Why send adults with them at all? Why not air drop them with a month's worth of supplies and a map and let them hike out alone? Those who survive the challenge could continue to live, those who die, well they just didn't get the lesson. Huh? Aren't the adults there to ensure their safety? If not, they serve no purpose.

Could you possibly be suggesting that they would have been justified in making him march inspite of his defiance? If so, that consequence is too harsh and illegal in the REAL world, and anyone who would do such a thing can only be catagorized as severely retarded or grossly insane.

Come to think of it...that's how they killed Aaron Bacon. He was physically depleted and COULDN'T  carry his pack. There was no definance involved at all, except in the warped minds of his abusers. He got to "suffer the consequences" of dropping his pack. They let him die. Withheld food and protection from the elements when temps were below freezing. They denied him medical care even after he had soiled his clothes. He smelled so bad the other teens wouldn't allow him to sleep under the tarp so he slept in the cold with no jacket or sleeping bag. I didn't know this boy, but reading his story brought me to tears, then rage at a society that would allow such treatment of their young. I do hope someone makes a movie or documentary of his story. There are many compassionate people in this country that have no idea this insanity is going on.

Leah, you are one miserable, pathetic and disgusting human being. Reading your comments makes my skin crawl.

5352
The Troubled Teen Industry / Death at Skyline Journey 13 July 2002
« on: January 18, 2003, 10:12:00 AM »
Leah, I have disclosed who I am and my connection to Ian. As you "judge" that Skyline did nothing wrong, I "judge" that they did and that Ian's death could have been prevented with Common Sense. My judgment is based on the numerous articles published, admissions from the "counselors" and the statement that was ultimately issued by the Licensing authority, AFTER charges were filed by the DA.



My "judgement of the licensing authority comes from the extensive research I have compiled on the history of deaths in Utah and the licensing director who has a long history of "overlooking" violations. I am absolutely positive I could do a better job than Stettler. Not a single doubt in my mind. He had already let Skyline off the hook for violations of regs that day, and I do not think he would've revoked their license if charges hadn't been filed by the DA. That action was to save face. How could he overlook blatant violations that were obvious to the DA? Wouldn't have looked good for him. Do you homework.



My "axe to grind with wilderness programs" is that too many teens have died unnecessarily, under the guise of therapy. I'm not opposed to wilderness excursions, there is much to be learned from nature. The slave driver mentality of these programs is what I oppose and think makes no sense whatsoever. They are so intent on "enforcing the march" they miss important and vital clues from the teens. And the ones "enforing the march" are often young adults who are inexperienced in working with teens. Again, do your homework. Read up on the unnecessary deaths of teens, particularly in Utah. Read the Utah regulations for wilderness programs. They are very lenient, and should be enforced to ensure safety. It says something about the Industry there, that the regs are so lenient, and still they can't/don't comply.  I have an extensive file and would be happy to forward it to you.



I do not believe Ian was in possession or control of his water supply. The counselor stated that he refused to walk, complained of thirst, and requested water. One doesn't usually have to "request" something they are in possession of.  And note this: because Skyline violated regulations and allowed the other teens to continue the march, there is no objective party to report what "really" happened, only the counselor's word. Everything I have read indicates that when one is hiking under those conditions it is imperative to drink frequently, it is too late if you wait until you're thirsty. Given that he might have been in possession of his water supply, a 14 year old doesn't know these things and is dependent on an adult to advise him/her under such austere conditions. You can bet that if I took my teens to Utah to hike in 100* weather at 8000 ft, I'd be reminding them every half-hour to drink water. That's MY responsiblity as the older, wiser, experienced adult. There is no way you will ever convince me that Ian was responsible for his own death. It's a waste of your time. I'm offended that you would imply that he might be.



Do a Google search for Aaron Bacon, another teen who died unnecessary in Utah because "they thought he was faking". Pay particularly close attention to the statements made by staff and the licensing director, Ken Stettler, in the court document that is returned in that search. Another case of "overlooked" violations. The simple truth is that kids are not safe at wilderness programs the way they are currently run and monitored.



My ability to perceive and discern right from wrong gives me the credential to pass judgment.



Yes, I have experience with Programs. My oldest spent 6 months in a Marine Military Academy. He was hazed by older cadets and abused by his drill officer daily. Came home with PTSD which I have dealt with for 5 years. He's finally recovering and he's 21. He lost five years of his life due to their ignorance and lack of care. Our lawsuit will settle this year. This program, like others told parents to ignore their child's complaints of the facility. Most did, until a young man had his throat slit in the middle of the night. I do not understand how a parent can be so blatantly ignorant when it comes to their offspring's well-being.



My youngest son attended a wilderness program as part of a 20 month Therapeutic Boarding School. His father thought he was making a better choice than he'd made with our older son because the word "Therapeutic" was stuck in there, and he paid a lot of money for the referal. BTW, the Ed Con never even saw my son, pretty easy and profitable business!! Further, she was unaware that she referred to an unlicensed program!!!



There wasn't a moment that passed that I didn't fear for his safety. Fortunately the worst thing that he experienced (that I'm aware of) was being left in the woods over night with no water, no flashlight, a black trash bag to lay on and his pancho to cover with. He apparently had a virus and was vomitting every 20 minutes or so and screaming for help. The leaders (ex-military) were all back at the base. But, what IF it had been  appendicitis or worse? He wouldn't be here to tell this story, and the program would most likely be off the hook because noone was there to monitor, to be responsible or accountable. It would have been catagorized as an unfortunate "accident" and I would've received one of those pathetic letters telling me how bad they feel about my loss and my son's misfortune. And what they would be sad about in reality is that this month's check won't be arriving.



And I will add that all my son "learned" at the TBS was how to manipulate ignorant people like yourself. Ironically, they profess to "treat" manipulation. He often tries that crap with me to which I reply, "hey this is your mother your talking to, no pretense" and we both laugh. He learned their "therapeutic" game very well, enough to survive the ordeal, but also lost two valuable years of his life because his step mother convinced his dad that we were both bad parents. Insanity at it's best. Justice for me would look like her spending 2 years of her life in a similar environment, unable to have contact with the outside world, all phone calls and letter monitored, limited calories for punishment, mind-f***** on a daily basis.



He came home from this $5000K/ month College Prep TBS, 5 credits behind his peers, his social skills were stunted, and he will forever resent his father. He is less confident which manifests as being less happy with life in general. It breaks my heart. I can only hope that eventually he will get back to being his old self, confident, athletic, outgoing. They did a number on his self-esteem and confidence.



If I owned or operated a program, it would be run very differently than anything I have seen to date. Anytime a minor is subjected to neglect and abuse in the name of therapy, something is very wrong. People who realize this take action to protect other kids whose parents are too desperate and/or ignorant to notice or care. It astounds me that you, and others like you can not discern the difference between abuse and therapy. Children have been removed from their parents for lessor offenses. I'll ask you, What gives, that these programs have carte blanc to abuse, because they present themselves to the world at-large as therapeutic????? That is the question we need to be focusing on, and it all leads to money and political power, licensing directors who don't do their jobs, and a society that generally fears and dislikes teens.



To put it in perspective...Pay me $5000. I'll take your 200+ pound, couch potato son from 500 ft to 8000 ft and march him until he drops. When he can no longer march and is complaining of thirst, I will leave him sitting in the direct sun. I won't err on the side of caution and take measures to treat him for heat exhaustion, even though he is sweating profusely and exhibiting over OBVIOUS signs of distress. I will chalk it up to "faking" a collapse. After an hour or so, I'll move him into the shade and prop him up against a tree and "sit with him" until he becomes unconscious. Hey, atleast he won't die alone. Oh, and I won't call for help until he's in cardiac arrest.



Think you might have an axe to grind with me? Think you might perceive it as wrongful death? I'm betting you would. Would you blow off holding me accountable if I had a piece of paper called "credentials"? You shouldn't. If anything they should act more responsibly because they have the "credentials" and so-called wilderness training. That to me is not grinding an axe, but stating the pure and simple, sad truth.



WAKE UP LADY. HAVE YOU READ ANYTHING ABOUT HIS CASE? I WAS SO OFFENDED BY YOUR COMMENTS I ALMOST DIDN'T BOTHER TO RESPOND. YOUR BLATANT IGNORANCE INFURIATES ME. WHAT GIVES? ARE YOU A FAMILY FRIEND OF THE WARDLE'S? ARE YOU MARK WARDLE, PRETENDING TO BE LEAH?  ARE YOU INCAPABLE OF DISCERNING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ABUSE AND THERAPY? IT SADDENS ME THAT THE WORLD IS FULL OF PEOPLE LIKE YOU. I FEEL A GREAT DEAL OF EMPATHY FOR YOUR SON, IF YOU'RE WHO YOU SAY YOU ARE. GIVEN YOUR DEPTH OF YOUR IGNORANCE, HE MAY HAVE BEEN BETTER OFF AT A WILDERNESS PROGRAM, SOMETHING I WOULDN'T WISH ON THE WORST OF SO-CALLED "BAD" TEENS. I WISH IAN WAS HERE SO YOU COULD TELL HIM YOUR OPINION AND HEAR HIS RESPONSE. YOU FEEL SORRY FOR SKYLINE...WHAT YOU NEED IS SOME "GOOD" THERAPY OR A BASIC EDUCATION.

[ This Message was edited by: Deborah on 2003-01-18 11:23 ]

5353
The Troubled Teen Industry / Death at Skyline Journey 13 July 2002
« on: January 14, 2003, 09:22:00 AM »
http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Jan/01072003/utah/18022.asp

Leigh Hale, with her attorney, Michael Esplin, appears at a preliminary hearing Monday. Hale was testifying in the heat exhaustion death of Ian

August at a wilderness therapy program. (Steve Griffin/The Salt Lake Tribune)

BY KEVIN CANTERA
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE

    FILLMORE -- When 14-year-old Ian August dropped to the ground during a scorching hike through Utah's west desert last summer, two of his wilderness therapy counselors thought he was faking, one of the counselors testified during a preliminary hearing Monday.

[Deb: I AM SO TIRED OF HEARING THIS FLIMSY EXCUSE, "WE THOUGHT HE WAS FAKING". EVERY "COUNSELOR" WHO HAS KILLED A TEEN HAS USED IT. THEY CALLED BACON A FAKER WHEN HE COULDN'T WALK AND FELL IN THE LATRINE, AND CONTINUED TO DO SO RIGHT UP UNTIL HE DIED. IT SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED AS AN EXCUSE TO TORTURE KIDS OR AS A DEFENSE IN THESE CASES, THEY SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO ERR ON THE OTHER SIDE...WHAT IF THEY AREN'T FAKING??]

"I thought it might have been a show," Matt Gause said about August's collapse on the fatal July 13 hike, during which, prosecutors say, temperatures soared near 105. "There was nothing alarming about any of it."

But an autopsy later determined that August, of Austin, Texas, had died from hyperthermia -- or excessive body heat.

Following Monday's hearing before 4th District Judge Donald Eyre, the judge took under advisement whether to order Mark Wardle, Skyline

Journey's field director, to stand trial on a charge of child-abuse homicide.

Prosecutors charged 47-year-old Wardle with the second-degree felony last year, arguing he acted with criminal recklessness in failing to get help for August quickly enough to save him.

But defense attorneys contend it was less than 95 degrees outside, the point at which Utah law forbids such wilderness treks. If the case
proceeds to trial, gauging an exact temperature at the time that August died will be a central issue.

[DEB: ONE OF THE REPORTS STATED THAT THE COUNSELORS LOGGED 90* AT 8 OR 9AM WHEN THE HIKE BEGAN. I HOPE THAT INFORMATION DOESN'T GET CONCEALED. IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THE TEMP DID NOT EXCEED 95* BY 11:30? ON A DAY THE TEMPS HIT 111*.]

At the outset of Monday's hearing, Millard County prosecutor Brent Berkley dismissed a similar charge against co-defendant Leigh Hale, a head field instructor for Skyline. Hale agreed to testify against Wardle and her former employer in exchange for Monday's dismissal.

In her testimony, Hale called August "abnormally obese," adding that he was "sometimes difficult to get motivated."

August, who stood 5-foot-4 inches tall and weighed as much as 200 pounds, was sent to the program by his adoptive mother to help him deal
with his weight.

During the Skyline program -- in which troubled youths are expected to mend their ways via a dose of discipline and wilderness survival training -- a half-dozen teens set out at 9 a.m. to trek through the desert toward a trilobite quarry.

"Ian just sat down on his backpack and stopped hiking," Hale testified. "He came across as being a little bit defiant [and] I tried to convince him to keep hiking."

[DEB: IN AN EARLIER REPORT SHE SAID IAN COMPLAINED OF THIRST, IS HER MEMORY FAILING? IS HER ROLE THAT OF SLAVE DRIVER, OR CARETAKER OF TEENS? THESE INADEQUATE COUNSELORS ARE NOT CAPABLE OF DETERMINING IF SOMEONE IS FAKING, AND OBVIOUSLY NOT ABLE TO IDENTIFY LIFE-THREATENING SITUATIONS. THAT THIS CAN CONTINUE,IS INSANE.]

She said it was 20 minutes before she called Wardle, and testified that she made no further attempt to determine August's body temperature
beyond touching his skin.

Hale said it was 45 minutes before she and Gause moved August from beneath the noonday sun into the shade of a juniper tree.

She and Gause performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation for 2 1/2 hours until emergency crews reached them, about 50 miles west of Delta
in Bird Canyon.

During cross examination by Wardle's attorney, Lance Thaxton, Hale said that just one day earlier August had a medical check from "the
nurse who used to check on the kids."

"With the circumstances I think we did a very good job," Hale testified during the 10-minute defense questioning.

[DEB: EXCUSE ME, IS THIS THE TESTIMONY THAT BARKLEY DISMISSED CHARGES AGAINST HALE FOR??? THIS IS BS, PATHETIC. I REALLY FEAR THIS WHOLE TRIAL COULD BE NOTHING MORE THAN A PUBLIC CHARADE.]

The Office of Licensing, an arm of the Department of Human Services, shut down the Skyline Journey program last year, but it continues to operate while the company appeals.

On Monday, the lone defense witness, Kelly Husbands, licensing specialist for the Division of Child and Family Services, said he found
Skyline had a single violation related to the death: failing to provide August's Texas doctor with an adequate description of the environment
and the program's physical demands. Husbands added that all the participants were given adequate food and water.

Attorneys for both sides are scheduled to provide written closing arguments by next Monday.
"We have to prove that a substantial danger existed and that [Skyline] was aware of it," said prosecutor Berkley. "It was more than an accident [but] we never have alleged they tried to kill this kid."

    [email protected]

5354
The Troubled Teen Industry / Death in Texas at "On Track" Wilderness
« on: January 14, 2003, 09:14:00 AM »
http://www.strugglingteens.com/news/ontrackclosure.html

CLOSURE OF ON TRACK
THERAPEUTIC ADVENTURE PROGRAM

(January 9, 2003) - We recently received notice that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will not renew the lease of their property to the On Track Therapeutic Adventure Program in Mason, Texas. Therefore, we have reluctantly decided to close the program.

We are gratified that On Track has had many significant successes in their work for families with children struggling with emotional and behavioral issues. Over the past five years, On Track has served 500 children and their families.

On Track is a therapeutic adventure program for struggling adolescents, ages 13 - 17. The program is located on a 6,000-acre former exotic game preserve in the Texas Hill Country.

Contact: Diane Huggins
615.594.5265
[email protected]

5355
The Troubled Teen Industry / Death in Texas at "On Track" Wilderness
« on: January 08, 2003, 11:49:00 PM »
Camp staff is accused of abuse in teen death
If upheld, state's finding will keep 3 employees out of child-care work
By Jonathan Osborne

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Saturday, January 4, 2003

State investigators have accused three Hill Country wilderness camp employees of physical abuse and neglect in connection with the
restraint-related death of a teenager in their care, an official with the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services said Friday.

According to a Travis County autopsy report, 17-year-old Chase Moody died Oct. 14 of traumatic asphyxia, which investigators said occurred
after he was physically restrained in a prone position by the camp's staff. Officials with the Brown Schools, the Nashville-based company
that owns and operates the On Track wilderness program, have disputed the medical examiner's ruling.

Each of the accused staff members, whose names have not been released,will have two opportunities to appeal the investigators' findings -- first with the regulatory department's administration and then with the
state office of administrative hearings.

If the reviews uphold the accusations, the three staff members' names would be entered into a central registry as having been cited for abuse
and neglect of a child, department spokesman Geoffrey Wool said.

"Everyone who is involved in licensed child care in Texas, their background is checked on this central registry," Wool said. "The finding
of physical abuse would basically prohibit you from ever being employed in licensed child care in Texas. That's just a hands-down ruling."

Brown Schools spokeswoman Diane Huggins said Friday she had not yet learned of the findings and could not comment.

State investigators also are looking into whether the Brown Schools violated any state regulatory standards, which prohibit certain kinds of
physical restraints, in connection with the incident. That investigation is expected to be wrapped up within the next two weeks.

The findings, which are part of a report that has not been released, are separate from an ongoing criminal investigation. Ronald Sutton, the
McCulloch County district attorney with jurisdiction over Mason County, said he plans to take that case to a grand jury sometime within the next few months. He said the regulatory department's report would be helpful.


"It's interesting," Sutton said. "I'd like to read the findings."

The Brown Schools operates residential treatment centers, wilderness camps and boarding schools that for the most part focus on treating
troubled or disabled youths. Huggins said her company is cooperating fully with authorities.

The camp in Mason County is marketed as a 28-day therapeutic adventure program.

On Nov. 5, Brown Schools officials voluntarily stopped admitting children into On Track until the investigation into Moody's death is
resolved. In December, the company lost its lease to the land it used -- 6,000 acres owned by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Ron George, deputy director of the department's wildlife division, said the termination of the lease was unrelated to Moody's death.

"There was a series of cases of On Track not delivering services they said they would provide -- building things, clearing brush -- those kind
of things," George said. "The review of the contract was already in place before that incident took place."

Moody, who lived in Richardson with his mother, had been sent to the camp primarily to work out anger issues, his parents said.

According to Huggins, Moody lashed out at one of the counselors on the night of his death. Staff members then placed him in what's known as the
"team control position," where they interlock legs, pull back the person's wrists and cup their hands on the shoulders. In the struggle,
they fell forward and continued to restrain Moody on the ground while using a cell phone to call for help.

Sutton has said it was his understanding that at least one of the staff members was sitting on Moody when sheriff's deputies arrived. Department
standards prohibit any pressure being applied to a youth's back when being held in a prone restraint.

Huggins has repeatedly said that no weight was placed on Moody's back and that the On Track staff handled the situation appropriately and
followed all the proper procedures.

The company also hired Bexar County Chief Medical Examiner Vincent DiMaio to review the autopsy report. DiMaio, who disputed the Travis
County medical examiner's findings, has said he believes Moody died of "excited delirium." In other words, Moody's highly excited state,
combined with the antidepressants he was taking, caused his heart to stop. The Travis County autopsy found that he suffocated.

The boy's father, Charles Moody, a former defense lawyer, represented the Brown Schools in a 1988 restraint-related death. He's now a
plaintiff's lawyer who specializes in medical malpractice.

He said he learned of the investigator's findings on Friday. "It certainly comes as no surprise given the lack of answers or information
I've been given based on very specific questions I posed to (officials at the Brown Schools)," Moody said. "They can't possibly, in good
conscience, in my mind, say that they handled this situation appropriately in every facet. There's just no way. You just don't have
this outcome."

[email protected]; 445-3621

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