|
Tough-Love Schools Are Both
Loved, Hated
Saturday, June 11, 2005
LAVERKIN, Utah. — Some schools
sprouting up around the United States that are designed to practice
tough-love with troubled teens are causing some communities to think
twice about bringing one to their town.
The tough-love facilites, which
aim to straighten out kids by teaching them how to be more
responsible and make better decisions, can be a big help to parents.
Link to three-part series on
Tough Love:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,159276,00.html
The schools try to "decrease the
desirability of unhealthy choices" and "increase the desirability of
healthy choices," said Norm Thibault, a therapist at Cross Creek
Academy (search), a tough-love facility in Utah.
"Here's a program where there's
no swearing, no smoking, no alcohol, no drugs, no boy-and-girl
interaction, go to school every day," said Cross Creek owner Karr
Farnsworth.
At about $50,000, they're not
cheap — although Ken Kay, director of Utah-based Worldwide
Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (search), or WWASPS,
which maintains six tough-love facilities including Cross Creek,
says the cost is well worth it.
It's "barely the cost of a G35
Infinity — the cost of a new car," Kay says.
But the controversial buzz among
parents isn't over the price tag. The schools are strict, and
students are not allowed outside the facility. They actually have to
earn the privilege to see their parents.
When Julia Burton's daughter was
spiraling out of control with alcohol, drugs and promiscuity, she
felt the only way to rescue her daughter was to commit her to Cross
Creek Academy (search), a WWASPS residential treatment center in
Utah.
"I felt my only recourse was to
give up my parental rights," Burton told FOX News.
Although Burton, who had to wait
five months to see her daughter, said the center has helped her
daughter, not every parent is happy.
Terry Cameron said her son,
Layne, was abused at Tranquility Bay, a WWASPS center in Jamaica.
Layne says he was duct-taped and
forced to sleep with his hands behind his back and says he was
abused for minor infractions; pepper spray was often used on him.
”They had both of my ankles and
... they dragged me across the floor and it split my chin and
knocked my tooth," Layne said.
The Camerons are among dozens of
families planning a direct action lawsuit against WWASPS that
includes allegations of fraud, assault and battery and false
imprisonment. Kay said to be wary of abuse allegations, since they
often come from troubled teens with a history of lying.
Although Layne's experience with
the facility was a nightmare, his mother believes the WWASPS
programs may be a way for some teens to turn their lives around but
she wants parents to think carefully before placing their children
in a residential treatment center.
"I totally blame myself,"
Cameron said.
Experts agree that parents
should weigh all their options for helping their troubled teens and
not rush into a program in desperation.
Many tough-love facilities
appear to be the solution to all the problems the teens are facing.
In fact, the schools sound so appealing, parents rarely realize that
some programs may be trying to "take advantage of them when they're
at their weakest moment," said Dr. Robert Johnson, a psychiatry and
pediatrics professor at New Jersey Medical School.
The mixed reviews of the
tough-love programs have the attention of New York Attorney General
Elliot Spitzer (search), who is investigating whether a WWASPS
school in his state obtained the necessary academic accreditation
legally.
"I think it's more about being
sure that the academic program is accredited properly and operating
properly, and we are a hundred percent in favor of that," said
WWASPS president Kay.
But Spitzer is not the only
person looking into WWASPS. Rep. George Miller (search), D-Calif.,
introduced federal legislation regarding oversight of residential
treatment programs and wants the U.S. Justice Department to make
unscheduled visits to WWASPS facilities.
Despite the prospect of economic
benefits, the town of Boonville, Mo., took note of the questions
surrounding WWASPS schools and rejected a proposal by the
organization's founder to open a school there.
Families, politicians, doctors
and government agencies are divided on whether WWASPS programs are
successful and safe. But Johnson said the schools aren't even
necessary.
"The best place for your
children to get better is at home, and that's always the case," he
said.
|
