THAT’S SUPPOSED TO HELP THEM, FORMER STUDENTS SELL SS TELL US THEY
WERE ABUSED.
KATE SNOW HAS THE
STORY.
SOME OF THE DETAILS
ARE DISTURBING.
>> Reporter: CLARINDA
ACADEMY IS IN
SOUTHWESTERN IOWA, ON
THE SAME GROUNDS AS A
STATE PRISON.
IT’S ONE OF DOZENS OF
RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES
RUN BY THE FOR PROFIT
COMPANY.
TEENS ARE SENT HERE
FROM NEARLY TWO DOZEN
STATES, USUALLY BY
COURT ORDER.
SOMETIMES THEY’RE
FOSTER KIDS WITH
NOWHERE ELSEO GO.
ONCE HERE, THEY NEED
PERMISSION TO LEAVE.
>> I’VE NEVER BEEN
BACK THERE EVER SINCE.
>> Reporter: NOW
FORMER RESIDENTS ARE
SOUNDING AN ALARM,
TELLING NBC NEWS WHAT
THEY EXPERIENCED AT
CLARINDA WAS ABUSIVE.
THE STATE OF TEXAS
PAID FOR MAHOGHANY
CHAMBERS TO ATTEND
CLARINDA WHEN SHE WAS
17 AFTER SHE GOT IN
TROUBLE WITH POLICE.
SHE SPOKE WITH US WITH
HER LAWYER AT HER
SIDE.
>> I THOUGHT IT WAS
GOING TO BE, LIKE,
POSITIVE, YOU KNOW.
>> Reporter: BUT ONE
NIGHT MAHOGHANY SAYS A
COUNSELOR ATTACKED
HER.
>> HE START BEING
AGGRESSIVE AND START
KISSING ON ME AND
STUFF.
>> Reporter: YOU
DIDN’T ASK HIM TO KISS
YOU.
YOU WEREN’T EXPECTING
THAT?
>> NO.
I WAS SHOCKED,
ACTUALLY.
I WAS REALLY -- I WAS
IN SHOCK.
HE PULLED DOWN HIS
PANTS AND HE
PENETRATED ME.
HE SAID DON’T TELL
NOBODY.
I JUST WALKED INTO MY
ROOM.
AND I SAT THERE IN THE
DARK, AND I STARTED
CRYING, BECAUSE I
DIDN’T -- I DIDN’T
KNOW WHAT TO DO, TO
SAY.
>> Reporter: DID YOU
FEEL LIKE HE HAD THE
POWER OVER YOU?
>> YEAH.
>> Reporter: THE
COUNSELOR, ANTONIO OR
ORANDA PLEADED GUILTY
TO SEXUAL MISCONDUCT.
SEQUEL FIRED HIM.
BUT MAHOGHANY CHAMBERS
IS SUING HIM AND
CLARINDA ACADEMY,
ALLEGING HE SHOULD
HAVE NEVER OVERSEEN
YOUNG GIRLS OR BEEN
HIRED IN THE FIRST
PLACE BECAUSE HE HAD A
CRIMINAL RECORD.
SEQUEL SAID HIS
CONVICTION WAS FOR
PETTY THEFT WHEN HE
WAS 18.
QUATEZ RICE WAS A
FOSTER STUDENT IN
WASHINGTON STATE WHEN
HE WAS SENT TO
CLARINDA.
>> IT WAS A NIGHTMARE.
>> Reporter: HE
DESCRIBES HARSH
PHYSICAL RESTRAINTS.
>> I GOT SLAMMED TO MY
HEAD AND I PASSED OUT.
AND SOMETIMES THEY
MADE A JOKE OF IT.
>> Reporter:
WASHINGTON STATE
PULLED ITS STUDENTS
OUT OF CLARINDA AFTER
AN INVESTIGATION BY
THE WATCHDOG GROUP
DISABILITY RIGHTS
WASHINGTON FOUND THE
USE OF RESTRAINTS WAS
PHYSICALLY PAINFUL AND
FREQUENTLY RESULTED IN
BACK, SHOULDER, AND
NECK PAIN FOR SEVERAL
DAYS OR WEEKS.
IN A STATEMENT TO NBC
NEWS, SEQUEL SAID THE
REPORT IS FILLED WITH
FALSE STATEMENTS, IS
AN ATTACK ON OUR
INTEGRITY, AND GROSSLY
MISREPRESENTS HOW WE
OPERATE.
BUT ANOTHER FORMER
RESIDENT, CLARA
SANCHEZ SAYS SHE ALSO
ENDURED HARSH
RESTRAINTS.
>> I HAD MY LEGS
STRAIGHT OUT IN FRONT
OF ME, AND HE PUT ALL
HIS WEIGHT ON MY BACK
AND HAD MY NOSE
TOUCHING RIGHT IN
BETWEEN MY LEGS, AND
JUST EXCRUCIATING
PAIN.
>> Reporter: SHE SAYS
ONE OF THE STAFFERS
RESTRAINING HER WAS
SEXUALLY AROUSED AND
PRESSING AGAINST HER.
>> HE DID IT IN A
MOTION WHERE YOU KNOW
IT’S INTENTIONAL AND
WHERE IT’S HITTING.
IT MADE ME REALLY
UNCOMFORTABLE.
>> Reporter: SEQUEL
SAYS PHYSICAL
RESTRAINTS ARE USED
WHEN STUDENTS ARE AT
RISK OF HARM TO
THEMSELVES OR OTHERS.
BUT THEIR USE HAS A
HISTORY OF COMPLAINTS.
A 2013 REPORT FROM
CALIFORNIA SAYS A
RESIDENT’S COLLARBONE
WAS BROKEN FOLLOWING
AN UNAPPROVED PHYSICAL
RESTRAINT TECHNIQUE
THAT STAFF THEN TRIED
TO COVER UP.
>> THE MORE BEDS THEY
FILL, THE MORE PROFIT,
THE MORE CORNERS THEY
CUT, THE MORE PROFIT.
>> Reporter: SANDY
SANTANA IS EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR OF THE
ADVOCACY GROUP
CHILDREN’S RIGHTS.
WHAT DOES THIS TELL US
ABOUT THE SYSTEM?
>> IT TELLS US THAT
OUR CHILD WELFARE
SYSTEMS ARE BROKEN,
AND THAT WE ARE
TREATING CHILDREN AS
COMMODITIES.
AND THEY’RE SENT
THOUSANDS AND
THOUSANDS OF MILES
AWAY TO BE WAREHOUSED
IN THESE INSTITUTIONS
THAT ULTIMATELY ARE
NOT SERVING THEIR
NEEDS.
>> Reporter: SEQUEL
SAID IT’S PROHIBITED
BY LAW FROM DISCUSSING
INDIVIDUAL CASES, BUT
CALLED THE ACCUSATIONS
BASELESS AND
UNVERIFIED.
IN A STATEMENT, THE
COMPANY SAID AN IOWA
STATE AUDIT IN
SEPTEMBER NOTED NO
DEFICIENCIES, AND
RENEWED OUR FULL
LISTENSER.
TODAYS AFTER WE
SUBMITTED QUESTIONS TO
SEQUEL, ALL OF THEIR
FA LILTS WILL NOW
ADOPT A NEW BEHAVIOR
MODIFICATION PROGRAM
THAT WILL MINIMIZE THE
USE OF RESTRAINTS.
FOR THE YOUNG KIDS WE
SPOKE TO HOPE KIDS IN
THE FUTURE WILL GET
THE HELP THEY DIDN’T.
>> THEY’LL ALWAYS
BELIEVE THE STAFF OVER
THE STUDENT.
>> Reporter: FINDING
POWER BY SHARING THEIR
STORIES.
>> BECAUSE I KNOW I’M
NOT THE ONLY ONE TO
HAVE A STORY.
>> LESTER, IOWA’S
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN
SERVICES TOLD US THEY
JUST CONDUCTED ANOTHER
ON-SITE REVIEW LAST
MONTH.
THEY FOUND CONCERNS
ABOUT TREATMENT SAFETY
AND ABOUT STATES
SENDING TEENS THERE
WITHOUT EVER CHECKING
UP ON THEM.
IOWA NOW IS DECIDING