Rep. Schiff to Push Reform Bill for Troubled Teen Programs

It seems that more honest warriors are on board to continue the many failed attempts that now-retired representative George Miller proposed in legislation. By the looks of it, this bill seems to be new and improved on federal regulations and licensing. California congressman Adam Schiff is supporting another bill to reform adolescent rehabilitation programs.

Here is what the bill will include:

•  Providing youth with essential food, water, medical care, rest, and shelter.
• Food, water, medicine, rest, and shelter should not be withheld as a punishment.
• Therapeutic practices must be evidence-based and peer-reviewed to be effective with specific mental disorders (no aversives, negative reinforcement, or brainwashing ).
• Will require therapist, teachers, and education consultants to be licensed in their appropriate profession (ed consultants/teachers should specialize in education, therapist in therapy, etc.). 
• Education Consulting will be regulated to make sure they don't get referrals from unlicensed therapeutic placements.
• There will be clear licensing of therapeutic facilities.
• Therapeutic options need to provide the child access to the family and community.
• They should not force a minimum length of stay, parents should be allowed to remove children at will.
• Facilities shall not engage in false and deceptive marketing practices (like WWASPS facilities looking like a resort, or Diamond Ranch Academy claiming to have athletics like a traditional high school)

Aljazeera America on Therapeutic Boarding Schools (40th Post!)

It looks like Diamond Ranch Academy is back in the news again. Aljazeera has posted a news archive on the abusive troubled teen industry, particularly in Utah. It's one of the facilities they talk about as DRA's lawyers continue to deny the allegations of abuse and fraudulent practices. This includes the threats of lawsuits to parties exposing the truth based on the stories of former students such as what they give out on DRA Survivors website.

It's that same scare tactic that took down a show on LA Talk Radio called "Bipolar Nation". Bipolar Nation Radio also exposed the corrupt mental health care and special education system that helps feed facilities like DRA. You can still listen to archives on Podbean.
I was scheduled to be interviewed on Bipolar Nation Radio in August of last year. Unfortunately after they were threatened by a lawsuit by DRA's lawyers, LA Talk Radio pulled the plug on the show. After their last podcast, the hosts of the show decided to go on hiatus. They said they were to eventually return as an independent broadcast. However it turns out that their Facebook fan page has been taken down, making me loose hope that they'll ever bring back the show. In the mean time, I have decided to look for other independent radio podcast with a similar format to Bipolar Nation to share my story that I have once shared on this blog. These are important issues that are never given media attention and no one will be willing to talk about. There needs someone to stand up with a voice, otherwise it will never stop.

2014 FILLED WITH AMAZING CLOSURES!

With 2014 come and gone, we had amazing closures. Two of which are among the most deceptively dangerous facilities that dare to call themselves "schools".
Those that I mention are Alynwood Academy (formally known as Family Foundation School) and Abundant Life Academy. Two programs that were littered with abuse who falsely claimed to offer everything traditional boarding schools offered. As survivor stories contradicted their websites.

Among other closures that should have never been open are Willowgren Academy. And don't forget about the potential closures of Tiara Blanca Ranch and the Judge Rottenburg Center. They may pop up and see it's final days in 2015 along with other sinister programs.

Abuse Caught on Camera at ALA (Forced to Close)

In Recent News, Abundant Life Academy has been in the spotlight after child beatings were caught on tape. ALA has relocated to Virginia of all places after ownership was given to Paul Branning. Initially founded by Craig and Wendy Rodgers in Mexico, they relocated to Utah after they were raided by Mexican authorities. Rodgers, who has a past felony conviction marketed ALA as a "Therapeutic Christian Boarding School" in the same way a similar facility Diamond Ranch Academy does. They lied about the fine arts, athletics, and social life going on at the so-called school to trick parents into sending their children there. In Utah, ALA has had one campus in Kanab and another in St. George. All the controversy regarding child abuse at ALA, Rodgers has handed ownership to Branning who has moved the facility to Eastern Virgina in mid-2013. Now since then there have been 4 staff convictions and have since closed it's doors.

The following link below shows both archives of the beatings and the closure.

http://wtvr.com/2014/12/02/christian-academy-owner-breaks-down-about-closing-school-after-abuse-caught-on-camera/

With the system set up the way it is, it's possible that they are going to open up under a new name unless Branning and Rodgers are all convicted. Research shows that Craig Rodgers dirty work is still at large. He runs a referral agency called Zion Education Systems Inc. which promotes programs for troubled youth. Their website is very dangerous as it also deceives parents to chose their abusive treatment facilities they receive bribes from instead of real legitimate education opportunities and psychological help. 

Pay attention to the states your looking at: Vanguard School is not what you think

Some schools could still be abusive and substandard rip-offs even without the 'therapeutic' label. For example, there is a special school in Lake Wales, Florida called the Vanguard School that does just that. According to local reports there has been incidents of students abusing other students and the staff/teachers not responding due to the school being run so cheaply. So when searching for a special boarding or day school, make sure that it's NOT therapeutic (this category has a very punitive approach) and does NOT serve too many categories or a full range of disorders like a 'one size fits all' fashion. Make sure that the schools specialization/services is specific with your child's disability. However special schools may not be the only option available depending on your child's disability, you should check what kind of special ed services that the private school provides.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/art-levine/guess-which-state-does-th_b_6157780.html