Rappleye, H., Salzman, E., & Snow, K. (2019, March 26). “They told me it was going to be a good place”: Allegations of abuse at home for at-risk kids. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/they-told-me-it-was-going-be-good-place-allegations-n987176
The devastating reality of institutional negligence often subjects vulnerable children to horrific physical abuse, unchecked sexual abuse, and severe emotional abuse, resulting in permanent personal injury and long-lasting psychological damage. According to a March 2019 NBC News investigation written by Hannah Rappleye, Eric Salzman and Kate Snow, this pattern of systemic trauma has plagued Clarinda Academy, an Iowa-based residential treatment facility operated by the for-profit company Sequel Youth and Family Services. Acting as a home of last resort for foster children and at-risk teens from nearly two dozen states, the academy has faced multiple lawsuits and regulatory scrutiny over its failure to protect its highly vulnerable residents. The report covered the case of a 17-year-old from Texas who was raped outside her dorm room by a male overnight counselor who was hired despite a prior felony conviction. The unchecked violence at Clarinda extended well beyond sexual predators to include the widespread, improper use of emergency physical restraints by frustrated and overworked staff members. Former students shared agonizing experiences. A 17-year-old foster youth from Washington was repeatedly dropped on his head by staff members until he lost consciousness, and another youth from Texas was choked and sexually assaulted by a male staffer pinning her to the floor. Driven by these allegations and documented reports of fractured collarbones and concussions, states like Washington and Nebraska actively pulled their foster children from the facility. Although Sequel executives defended their internal audits and promised to install security cameras and implement trauma-informed crisis management programs, an evaluation by Iowa’s Department of Human Services revealed that the children felt completely unsafe, experienced rising physical assaults, and were essentially abandoned by the out-of-state caseworkers and legal guardians assigned to monitor their well-being.