Spring Creek Lodge Montana Information

[spots]

I am looking for any additional information on SCL.  I am preparing packets to send to every single state legislator in Montana, the governor (unfortunately, lame duck), Depts. of Education and Child Welfare.  Although my personal focus is on Casa by the Sea, SCL seems to be flying low under the radar.  It needs some heat brought upon it. If Costa Rica thinks WWASP is abusive, can Montana be far behind?

An article by a local reporter in the Missoula newspaper pointed out the need.  She phoned Thompson Falls for information on the school, and got a nifty quote from City Clerk Kathy Denke (perhaps not the proper spokesperson for the whole community) who answered the phone. Denke said the Spring Creek Academy students are well known around town, often volunteering in community cleanup days, participating in parades and other town activities.  "They are really very community-minded", she said.  "We don't have any problems with this school.  Whenever the students come and do things in the community, they are very well supervised."

Also, the article says, "In Montana, officials said they knew little of Spring Creek Lodge.  The state does not license private boarding schools, said Shirley Tiernan, chief of the training bureau in the state's Child and Family Services Division.  The school seems to be well regarded both by community leaders in Thompson Falls and parents of teen-agers attending Spring Creek.  

"I have never had a concern about her welfare there, never," said Dana Backiel of Washington state, whose 15-year-old daughter is a student and resident at Spring Creek Lodge.  "I've gotten to know a number of people on the staff there and I have no doubt they have my child's best interests at heart.  They are incredible people."  

Hhmmm..wonder how the reporter got a hold of Ms. Backiel's phone number?  

  If you have anything noteworthy to share, please email me at [email protected].  Thx.

[Anonymous]

If you want to did up dirt on SCL dont call the locals in Thompson Falls, believe me, they would not do anything to risk loosing their major source of employment in that town. Get a hold of the former students. The untrained locals who were born and raised in Thomson Falls MT. that now work at SCL would most likely lie to keep SCL open in order to keep feeding their family. All WWASP's programs are like this, hidden in little rural communities, where local law enforcement are laid back (and probably easy to buy off through donations etc.), and the locals needs your program to stay open to stay employed.

[Deborah]

The fact that these facilities/programs register with the state as private boarding schools, yet advertise to the public as BM (psych) facilities is a real problem.  And in my book amounts to fraud.  :flame:

Best to raise a stink about that discrepency. Licensing doesn't care unless someone lodges a complaint. Remember, they are "reactive" not "proactive"...quote from Ken Stettler-Utah.

That's what I did in Ga. The facility lied, said they started as a PBS, then changed. Wrong!! I provided ORS with web links and advertisements dating back to the time they opened. Last I heard, ORS was "negotiating" with the facility regarding their classification.

One other thing to know, when push comes to shove, as in Ga, some states may have a provision that allows them to issue a waiver for an "experimental" program. I don't know how to get around that one.

But the heat needs to be turned up on this issue. Licensing must be pressured to investigate the "services provided" and determine if the facility is what it claims to be. Any psych services should disqualify the PBS exemption.
As in Utah, Stettler (Lic. Dir) knows what's up with WWASP and other programs running this scam. If what he says is accurate, and he can't do anything; it's probably because there aren't any complaints specific to this issue.

It can take some time for licensing to gain access to a facility that is classified as a PBS because they are a "private corporation"...and they can only investigate if complaints have been filed.  Preferably numerous complaints. They can't have their cake and eat it too. Or, maybe they can...time will tell.
Deborah

An after thought.
Insurance companies might be interested to know they are victims of fraud as well- actually paying for stays at "boarding schools", and not the "psych services" which were applied for. Uh, which is it. If they are PBS, then they shouldn't qualify for insurance money. Could be useful to compile a list of the facilities committing this fraud, then send that list to major carriers.

I've heard this one too...We are primarily a school with an "emotional growth curriculm". An effort to sound more like an "educational" institution with "boundaries". Sorry, this is psychiatry, and psychiatry at its underhanded, manipulating worst.

[Anonymous]

Hey it's me, Melissa again. If you need info on Spring Creek Lodge please don't hesitate to contact me.


[email protected]

[Anonymous]

I'm a former student of Spring Creek Lodge, and I'm very glad to see that there are people and groups out there interested in bringing out the truth of these places. General discomforts of daily living and inhumane treatment aside, I believe some laws must be broken by these facilities---forced, unpaid 16-hour work days washing dishes and other methods of skimping on costs and three-day-long brainwashing seminars, complete with sleep deprivation and led by disgruntled parents with no psychological degrees or training I'm sure bend any legality locking up children without due process might have in the first place. Best of luck to you.

[Anonymous]

Why would this even be necessary?  Did the lawsuit crash and burn or something?  If not, then if there is something that isn't right about SCL or any of the other programs, then it will come out and you won't have to waste your energy on idle threats.  

May be your energies would be better spent on supporting your grand daughter?  Is she a part of this lawsuit thing - you said she was abused, right?

[Antigen]

On 2003-12-22 09:30:00, Anonymous wrote:

If not, then if there is something that isn't right about SCL or any of the other programs, then it will come out and you won't have to waste your energy on idle threats.  

Isn't that what the Pope said?

...and in all indictments for libels the jury shall have the right to determine the law and the facts, under the direction of the court, as in other cases.

(Jury nullification. It's not just a good idea, it's the law!)
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/VC/visitor_info/creating/constitution.htm' target='_new'>Declaration of Rights, PA Constitution

[tommyfromhyde1]

:roll:
So SCL has it's prisoners "volunteering in the
community" do they? I'm having a Hyde School
flashback. BTW, I doubt those kids were asked
whether they wanted to "volunteer". At Hyde
"community action" was as manditory as everything
else and consisted mostly of working for political
candidates favored by Hyde.

Clancy's Law: The perceived role of governments is to deploy ever increasing resources to the attainment of  ever diminishing end results.
--Home Page

[Antigen]

Hi Tommy!
 :wave:

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike.
-- John Muir

[Kiwi]

Why would this even be necessary? Did the lawsuit crash and burn or something?

I don't know what is happing with the lawsuit but even if it is filed today it will probably run for years.  WWASP have the resources to fight it all the way.  There is no harm in fighting on more than one front.  Anyway, the lawsuit is a civil matter between the parties involved.  If there are regulatory or criminal matters that need investigation then they are an entirely separate issue.

[Anonymous]

Personally, I think if there was going to be a direct-action lawsuit, it would have been filed by now.  Second, recent efforts to revive interest in the lawsuit and/or recruit potential clients for it may be nothing more than a smokescreen.  Ouch.

[Anonymous]

SCL needs to be fucking sued for all the shit they have done and are doing as we speak.  They are nothing other then a fucking prison!!!!!!  They lie to the parents portraying this wonderful school when really as soon as the parents leave their poor children there, they turn into completely different stupid, untrained, pediophile staff.  Chaffin and Cameron hide behind being Mormon and lie to the State and staff about how much they care.  All they care about is their pocketbooks.  Cameron only cares where his next drink is coming from.  Chaffin eats salads in the Hungry Horse and by looking at him, he pigs out majorly!!!!!!!!  They aren't true to themselves or to anyone else for that matter.  They overlook the abuse that happens there and covers things up for the staff they like.  This place definitely needs to be shut down.  Either the kids need to riot and fuck the place up, burn it down or whatever.  The kids that have been there need to speak up and have this place shut down.  KARMA needs to happen!!!!!!!!!