Has school destroyed your creativity and self-confidence? I'm working on a book called Recovering From School, to help you heal the damage caused. Join the Patreon or Newsletter to be notified about updates. Paid Patreon members will get early draft previews, as well as a free digital copy when it's done.
School Survival > News >
US: Help End the Torture of Youth in Residential Programs!
Bill could give federal oversight to private clinics for children and would require FDA inspections
In a move that could have implications for D.C.'s troubled special education system, a panel of lawmakers Wednesday passed sweeping legislation that gives federal authorities the right to inspect private children's clinics and schools.
The bill would require the federal Department of Health and Human Services to inspect therapeutic schools, clinics, camps and ranches every two years and to fine or shut down any outfit that fails minimum standards for safety and care. It passed the House Education and Labor Committee by a vote of 27-16.
Proponents of the measure said it would protect children and their families from fly-by-night operators who promise miracle cures to mentally ill or disabled children and then warehouse the children with little regard to their safety or welfare.
Thousands of D.C. kids have been shipped to camps and clinics all over the country for decades. There have been repeated complaints of abuse and low standards, but as The Examiner has reported, D.C. officials were hardly aware of where the kids were, let alone what was happening to them.
It's a program that will cost taxpayers nearly $210 million this year.
Tom Kiley, spokesman for health committee Chairman George Miller, D-Calif., told The Examiner that the bill was necessary to keep kids out of harm's way.
"A number of children from the District, like thousands of children from all over the country, have been sent across state lines to residential programs where physical, sexual and emotional abuse has occurred," he said in an e-mail. "We want to make sure that kids are safe no matter what state or setting they are in."
The legislation has encountered resistance from trade associations linked to the lucrative private clinic and camp industry.
Opponents of the bill said it's an unnecessary layer of government interference imposed on an industry that's capable of policing itself.
Miller's bill now moves on to the full House floor for passage.
Take action on the Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2008 here: http://capwiz.com/mobilize/iss...
Posted by: SoulRiser
Source Article
Where to next? Pick one!
- Check out the Alternatives to School section
- Join our Patreon
- Sign up for our newsletter
Posted in: News on July 22, 2008 @ 12:00 AM
Tags: School
If you like what we're doing here, you can become a Patron and sign up for our newsletter!
Hey, maybe they could LISTEN THE FUCK to us and close schools, too...
Somehow I don't feel this is going to do much. After all, quite a few of these schools are located outside the US in countries like Mexico, Jamaica, Costa Rica, etc.
HELP SoulRiser or anyone. I've been banned or something and I don't know why. This site is one of the like 5 reasons for living I have! HELP!!!!
It's a good move, but it'd be better if parents used common sense and stopped sending their kids to therapeutic schools, "troubled teen" boot camps, and tough love programs.
And of course there's the issue of some of these schools not being in US jurisdiction but this would help at least a bit. Plenty of abusive facilities are in the US, and we can at least try to help the kids stuck in those.